


Fall Nights

by ErzaDLaw



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Denial, Drama & Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Magic User Baby, Mystery, Sex Magic, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2019-08-22 10:23:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 61,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16596035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErzaDLaw/pseuds/ErzaDLaw
Summary: One fall night, Lucy receives an unexpected visitor that will change her life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

* * *

Lucy sat at her table writing away on a late fall night. Fall was her absolute favorite season and it always sparked her imagination the most with the beautiful fall leaves, the crisp nights, the food, the pumpkins on people's doorsteps, sexy vampires or werewolves, and Halloween. She smiled as she scribbled some notes for a sexy novel that she was writing for Erza. It was a smutty little number that she was going to publish for Erza as a Christmas present.

Suddenly Lucy heard a cat yowl fiercely outside, breaking her concentration. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight, but she wasn't tired at all so she decided that she would make some hot apple cider—another one of her fall favorites. Then just as she was heating the cider up on her stove, she heard a light knock at the door.

She froze because she had no idea who that could be. Natsu and Happy were out on a mission by themselves, Erza was secretly meeting with Jellal, and Gray was hooking up with Cana tonight. Lucy pulled out the wrench that she liked to keep under her sink then slowly made her way to the front door. She was sneaky as a ninja because she didn't want them to hear her approach so that she could peak out of her eyehole.

"Freed?" Lucy whispered when she saw the Rune Mage leaning against her door frame. She quickly opened the door and asked, "Freed what's wrong? Are you ok?!"

The Rune Mage looked at her with pained blue eyes and he struggled to say, "Forgive me Lucy, I don't know why I'm here."

Lucy got worried because Freed Justine of all people was always put together and always had a reason for his actions. Lucy put down the wrench and grabbed his hand and said, "Freed come inside please, you're scaring me."

Freed seemed to barely hear her, but he stepped through her door frame. Once the door closed, she led him over to her couch and she asked, "Did something happen? Do you want me to call Laxus?"

"I-I don't know," Freed murmured out.

Lucy was really worried now as she knelt down in front of him and asked, "Feed, do you know who I am?"

His blue eyes looked at her and he replied in a monotone voice, "Lucy Heartfilia, Celestial Mage, Fairy Tail Guild Mate, virgin."

Lucy gasped and slapped Freed's arm before she put her hands on her hips and stated, "That's a little too personal Freed Justine! Good grief, how would you even know that?!"

The Rune Mage just looked down at the ground as though he were embarrassed or ashamed. She didn't really know what was up with him and then tried to smell his breath for alcohol. She couldn't smell anything so she just shrugged her shoulders.

Lucy realized that her cider was done so she asked, "Freed, I made some apple cider. Would you like a cup?"

When Freed didn't answer, Lucy just sighed and muttered under her breath, "I better call Laxus."

She poured herself a cup first, then turned off the stove before she went to grab her communication lacrima. Just as she was about to reach for it, the clock struck midnight. Her body froze as the cup fell out of her hands.

She felt like a puppet as her body turned towards Freed. Her eyes widened because Freed was also standing and facing her; however, his eye was glowing a dark purple as though he were using his magic. He looked at her with a pained face and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening."

Lucy tried to scream, but found that she had no voice to. Instead her hands grabbed the hem of her off the shoulder sweatshirt and lifted it off over her head. Her nipples hardened from the air and in the back of her mind she was scolding herself for not wearing a bra. But she wasn't expecting anyone tonight, so she didn't really see the need to wear one. Then as though some force was working against her, she began to remove her leggings and panties.

Her body was shaking and she could feel tears run down her cheeks and saw that Freed had begun to take his clothes off too. She could see that he also had tears on his face and it looked like he was trying to fight whatever was happening to them.

Then when the clock finished its last chime, their tears stopped. The looked at each other and Lucy felt an insatiable hunger well up inside of her as Freed walked over to her with his hardened cock ready to go. She eyed it hungrily and followed the thick vein down his shaft and she felt the urge to touch it—so she did.

She bit her lip when she heard Freed groan and looked into his eyes, and even though one was still purple, she could see that he was filled with lust. Then while still holding onto his impressive manhood, she gently led him over to her bed. She found herself trying to suck it, but the magic forced her down onto her back.

Her body had never felt so alive and she shuddered under Freed's touch as his strong hands rand down the sides of her body and she thought she heard him mutter, "Beautiful." She felt her body relax when Freed crawled onto the bed with her and then spread her legs before him as though he were about to enjoy a feast.

She could feel her quivering heat flex as Freed eyed his prize intently. Lucy let out small gasp when one of his hands ran up the inside of her thigh then brushed gently over her feminine slit. Her back arched off her bed by the gentle stroke of his fingers against her wet heat.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear a faint voice screaming that this was wrong, but it was like a dream that her body was caught up in and she couldn't stop. Then she tried to force her body down onto Freed's fingers more as desire coursed through her veins. Her brown eyes marveled at his god-like physique. He was lean with well-toned muscles, his beauty mark under his eye was beyond sexy, and that hair…she couldn't help it as her fingers reached up and ran through it to pull him closer to her into a lustful kiss.

Lucy could feel his body tensing at first before he finally allowed desire to take control. He returned her kiss with a fervor in which she had never felt. The way his tongue danced in her mouth made her pussy ache for him as she tried to grind against his thick manhood. She felt satisfaction when she heard him inhale sharply, but then Freed's purple eye looked like it was trying to change back and she heard him whisper out, "I'm so sorry, Lucy," before he thrusted himself completely inside of her.

Lucy let out a pained scream by the sudden intrusion to her womanhood and then felt Freed as he kissed away her tears. She tried to adjust herself to accommodate the new sensation and then as though he already knew that she was ready, Freed began to thrust himself in and out of her.

The discomfort quickly vanished as she moaned out for more. She watched Freed's eyes darken with want as he responded to her plea. She hissed as his fingers dug into the swell of her hips and began to pound in and out of her with a force so strong that her bed was starting to move and her breasts were bouncing up and down, much to his delight. Then his hands roamed up to grab a hold of her glorious globes and squeezed them as he fucked her harder.

Lucy could feel herself on the verge of something as Freed snapped his back and forth at an incredible speed. She found herself not being able to think clearly as though a fog was clouding her mind and all she could do was plead, "Please, so close."

Freed almost made a feral sound on top of her that finally sent her over the edge and into bliss. Her body tense as tendrils of heat shot through her nerves and she could feel everything, every kiss, every breath, every caress, and everything Freed filled her up with as he groaned and spilled his seed inside of her. It was as though time stood still as their bodies merged together in bliss.

Then Lucy could feel her head spinning and then everything went dark.

* * *

Lucy groaned before she opened her eyes. She winced when she tried to sit up. "What the hell?" she gasped because her thighs and womanhood ached terribly.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that she was naked. She threw her blankets back and gasped in horror when she saw the trickles of dried blood on her sheets. Her hips had bruises on them in the shape of finger prints and she began to shake in fear when she saw some type of dried liquid on her sheets.

"Oh my god," Lucy cried as a hundred different things flashed through her brain as to what had happened last night.

She couldn't remember anything. She remembered writing and making cider. She looked over to her kitchen area and saw that her cup had been knocked over and cider spilled out and stained the carpet. She saw her wrench over by the door and panicked. Did someone drug her and rape her? What should she do? Go to the doctor? Go to the guild?

Lucy grabbed a pillow and began to cry as fear consumed her. She had no idea what to do.

* * *

Freed was sitting in the guild with his brows furrowed together. He felt rather concerned. This morning he had woken up in his home completely naked and his manhood had appeared to have dried ejaculation on it. He tried to remember as to what had happened last night, but the last thing he remembered was walking home from the guild alone.

He was very concerned, because he had not been drunk and he certainly had not kept the company of a woman to his knowledge. How could he figure out what had happened? Why was there a significant gap in his memory? Did someone attack him? He felt worried and was trying not to panic.

Freed saw that Evergreen and Bickslow were talking with their significant others, so he would wait to ask them if they remembered anything odd about last night. Then he looked up and smiled faintly when he saw Laxus walking over to him with an amused look on his face.

Before Freed could greet his fearless leader, Laxus chuckled and said, "Have a wild night last night, Freed?"

"I beg your pardon?" Freed asked in a shocked tone.

"My bad, I know you like your privacy. Just a little shocked because she doesn't seem like your type," Laxus teased.

Freed felt panic in his body and he asked in a shaky tone, "What are you talking about?"

Laxus arched his eyebrow at Freed quizzically and replied, "Lucy's scent is all over you. Smells like you must have been going at it all night."

Freed shot up suddenly. What the hell did Laxus mean by that? Could Lucy know what had happened? He needed answers and he didn't even register that Laxus was asking him what was wrong as Freed left the guild to find Lucy.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy didn't know what to do. She knew that if you were raped then you should go to the hospital and not shower first, but the thought of some man she didn't know forcing himself onto her had her crying hysterically and she wanted to claw her skin off from the violated feeling that now consumed her.

Suddenly a light appeared and Virgo stood before her with worried look. "V-Virgo," Lucy sniffled out, "I don't know what happened." Lucy pointed at the sheets and the bruises on her hips. What the hell was happening?

"Hime-sama, I came instead of Brother because he is looking into your situation now. Last night we did not notice anything unusual or sense that you were in any danger. If we did then we would have come immediately. However, we knew something was wrong from the moment you woke up," Virgo reported sadly.

"S-so, you guys didn't feel anything," Lucy sobbed out.

"No," Virgo stated honestly.

"What should I do?" Lucy cried out in fear.

Before Virgo could say anything, Lucy jumped when there was a loud knock on the door. She recognized Freed's voice when he asked, "Lucy, are you home?"

She had no idea why Freed would be at her apartment so early or why the normally stoic mage sounded like he was in panic mode. She tried to wipe away her tears in-between gasps before she replied in a pained voice, "Freed, now's not a good time."

"Please Lucy, I need to know what happened last night," Freed pleaded from the other side of the door.

Lucy's felt like her heart had stopped completely. She and Virgo looked at each other and she was still naked and her body was now trembling, but she managed to reply, "J-just a second, Freed."

Virgo quickly handed Lucy a robe, before she went back to the Celestial Realm to give Lucy some privacy. When Lucy opened the door, Freed looked stunned before her, because it would be apparent to anyone that she had been crying like a lunatic. However, Freed didn't look much better. Lucy knew she had never seen Freed look so…distraught. She moved aside and motioned for him to come in.

Freed looked around the room. He saw that there was a wrench by the door, a spilled cup of something with a pile of Lucy's clothes and her undergarment next to it, then he saw her bed—which was rather unkempt. His eyes widened when he saw that there was blood on it.

Lucy followed Freed's eyes and couldn't help when tears fell down her cheeks. Then he asked in a pained voice, "Lucy, do you have any memory of last night?"

"W-why?" Lucy asked because she wasn't sure why Freed was here or why he would be asking her this. She didn't know anything.

"Well," Freed tried to say. He had no idea how to tell Lucy that he also had no memory or how she would react when he told her what Laxus had said. If he had done what he now thinks he did, he wasn't sure he would ever forgive himself—let alone if she would forgive him.

Lucy looked at Freed who hadn't finished his explanation and asked him, "Well what?"

He turned his attention back to her and admitted, "I also have no memory of what I did last night. The last thing I remember I was walking home from the guild. Then I woke up this morning…in a compromising position…"

"What do you mean compromising?" Lucy asked nervously.

Freed paused and then said, "Perhaps you should have a seat."

"No!" Lucy nearly shouted, "Tell me what happened to you."

"I woke up in my home, naked, and there were signs that I had had intercourse," Freed admitted in shame, "The when I went to the guild this morning, I was going to ask my team if they remembered anything odd about last night, because I had not been drinking nor was I with a woman, then that is when Laxus approached me about my smell…"

Freed knew that Lucy would know what he had meant by Laxus telling him about his smell, because Lucy also had a Dragon Slayer for a teammate. He felt his heart fill with remorse when she barely whispered out, "What did you smell like?"

"You," Freed whispered back.

He felt like he couldn't do anything as he watched Lucy fall apart in front of him. "W-what!? H-how!?" Lucy screamed.

"I do not know, but I think we should probably speak with Master. After seeing your apartment the way it is…I believe Laxus is correct," Freed replied sincerely.

"SO YOU HAVE NO FUCKING MEMORY OF TAKING MY VIRGINITY!" Lucy snapped at him.

Freed's eyes widened in horror. He had no idea. Then he asked, "So you have no memory of it either then?"

"No!" Lucy shouted as she began to hyperventilate.

Freed knew he had to take control of the situation. Lucy was a guild mate and he had possibly violated her without either of their consent in a way that he had found appalling. He looked at her and tried to say calmly, "Lucy, I think for right now you should get dressed and we can go to the hospital together to get you examined. I do not remember being with you last night, but I fear that if we did have relations then I do not believe I wore protection of any kind."

Lucy fell to her knees and began to cry before she said, "Go away."

"Lucy please," Freed begged.

"GO AWAY!" Lucy screamed in desperation.

Freed Justine never ignored the wishes of a lady; however, this time he would have to insist. Lucy was a guild mate and she fell under the category of people he would die to protect. He would not allow her to go through this alone, even if she hated him for it. He stood up and firmly said, "I will leave your apartment, because it is your home; however, I will wait for you downstairs. We both need to go get checked and I don't think you should go alone."

Lucy didn't reply to Freed, but she heard the door shut behind him. She doubled over on the floor and began to cry. Her body still hurt slightly. But how…how could this happen? What did she do to deserve this?

Logically she knew Freed was right. She needed to get to the hospital. She was on the pill, but she still wanted to get an emergency contraceptive. Just in case. Why did her first time have to be like this?

* * *

About 15 minutes later, Lucy came down her apartment stairs to see Freed waiting for her. She had put on a t-shirt with a hoodie and some boyfriend cut sweatpants. She didn't know if she was supposed to wear tight clothing or if it would mess up the test.

The two walked together in silence and Lucy prayed that no one from the guild would see them, because she didn't want to explain what the hell they were doing. Lucy didn't look at Freed when she asked, "So did you…did you tell Laxus anything…"

"No. When he told me I smelled like you, I immediately went to find you in hopes that you knew what had transpired last night," Freed admitted grimly.

Lucy just nodded her head and the two walked in silence the rest of the way.

* * *

Lucy hated hospitals. She hated the stupid little gowns they made you wear. She was about to freeze her ass off while she waited for the doctor to return. She didn't know where Freed was or what kind of tests he needed, but she hoped he was ok.

Finally the doctor came back into the room. Lucy sat up while the doctor looked at his clipboard and said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but it does appear that you had sexual intercourse last night and protection wasn't used."

 _'No shit Sherlock,_ ' was what Lucy wanted to snap at the doctor. She couldn't believe she was paying someone to tell her what she already knew.

"It looks like you are already on birth control," the doctor added as he continued staring at the chart.

Seriously?! She was about to Lucy Kick this son of a bitch right across his stupid doctor face when he said, "The nurse will give you an emergency contraceptive on the way out though as you requested. There are side effects and you will most likely need to rest a few days because it can cause extreme fatigue and nausea."

What a jackass. Lucy was just about to snap at him when he asked, "Would you like to press charges? The Rune Knights are here to take the man away."

"What?!" Lucy yelled in shock.

"This man assaulted you without your consent. Let the authorities do their job," the doctor said haughtily.

"Yeah and for all we know I assaulted him," Lucy snapped at the doctor, "Tell them to stay the hell away from him and furthermore what happened to patient confidentiality?! I could have you fired!"

The doctor looked horrified and left the room. Lucy was shaking in anger, she was so angry by everything. The idea that Freed was about to be arrested nearly shattered what was left of her heart for the day.

After she changed and grabbed the emergency contraceptive from the nurse, Lucy went to find Freed who looked rather upset in the lobby. There were still Rune Knights waiting nearby and Lucy looked at Freed and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Freed just nodded then when he stood the Rune Knights just narrowed their eyes as they left together. Lucy looked over at Freed and said, "I'm sorry they did that to you. I had no idea they would call the Knights."

"It's all right," Freed replied quietly, "But for what it's worth, I am very sorry that this is happening."

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks. No it wasn't an ideal way to lose your virginity, but it could have been taken from her much worse. Freed had stopped walking too when she looked at him and admitted sadly, "Freed, if it were anyone else in our guild besides you or Alzack then I wouldn't believe it to be an accident. I don't know you all that well, but I know you well enough to know that you would never have sex with me without my consent."

Freed gave her a faint and thankful smile as they continued walking. They walked in silence for a while before Freed said, "It had to be a spell."

Lucy nodded her head in agreement, because she was thinking the same thing, before she said, "You're right, but I've never heard of a spell like that. I guess this afternoon I can have Crux see if he can find anything."

Freed's brows furrowed together for a second before he suggested, "Would you care if I put Runes in and around your apartment as a safety measure? Also, I can research in the guild library today, because the sooner we find out who did this to us the sooner we can deal with it."

Lucy thought about what he said for a moment before she replied, "Runes are fine, but would the possessed you be able to undo them? Assuming that you or I were possessed or something. Also, can we keep this a secret between us?"

Freed felt pity for Lucy, because her nerves were clearly frayed and she was trying her best to hold it together. He wished that there was something more he could do to help. He replied seriously, "Of course we can keep it between us, the only foreseeable problem would be the Dragon Slayers. Perhaps our scents will fade from each other though. As for the runes, I could write them in a way that could trigger an alarm or trap us if it were to happen again; somewhat like a cascading effect where I would keep having to solve new ones the moment I dispelled the previous ones."

Freed glanced over at Lucy who was staring down at the ground, trying not to cry. His heart broke at the sight of the normally carefree girl. He cleared his voice and said, "I don't know how to begin to express my sorrow for the situation I put you in."

"Freed, for all we know I jumped your bones," Lucy said with a hesitant laugh, "Besides, you are the only person I can talk to about it. Don't blame yourself for something we don't understand."

Freed just nodded his head in understanding before Lucy added, "Don't get me wrong, I could break down crying at any minute, because I didn't expect to lose my virginity that way. But like I said, if it wasn't you then I would have kicked the guy in the balls already. For all we know someone did this to us both."

That thought made both of them go into deep concentration as to who might have a motive to do such a thing. Neither knew what would happen then Lucy asked, "Do you think it will happen again?"

"I don't know, but we should be prepared," Freed replied seriously.

* * *

After they reached Lucy's apartment, Freed made his way to the guild and Lucy went upstairs to get cleaned up. Virgo had already cleaned up last night's mess for her, to which she was very thankful for, so Lucy decided to jump into the shower.

As the hot water poured down her body, she tried her best to remember last night. She remembered working on the smut novel for Erza and she remembered making cider, but everything after that was blank. Why though? Why did this happen? Why Freed?

Lucy overwhelmed herself with the unknown questions in her head. She couldn't talk to anyone about what had happened besides Freed. What would she say if she did try to tell her other friends, " _Oh hey Mira, I finally lost my virginity to someone but I don't remember."_  Lucy knew she couldn't talk about it even if she wanted to, because the guild would probably react the same way towards Freed that the doctor did. If her team found out then Freed would be a frozen pile of ash with a sword in him. She didn't want that for him, because she could see the pain in his eyes when he realized what he had done to her.

She felt so utterly alone and hopeless as she fell down in the shower and cried in frustration.

* * *

Freed was in the library by himself. Luckily Laxus had been distracted when Freed had returned so no unwanted questions were asked. He had overheard Mira say that Natsu was on a mission with Happy, which Freed was thankful for.

His brows furrowed together in worry as he remembered Lucy breaking down. He had no idea that she was a virgin, because he never pried or listened when gossip was circling the guild-which it often did. The fact that he took something from her made him feel sick to his stomach. He couldn't give her virginity back, but he was determined to set things right by solving this conundrum.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been weeks since Freed and Lucy had slept together and neither of them were any closer at discovering who or what did this to them. Even Crux had come up with nothing. Freed's runes hadn't even been triggered ever since he set them up at both of their places. The two had kept what happened a secret from everyone; however, both of their teams could sense that something was off about their teammates.

It was a few days until Halloween and the guild was in a bustle because the following evening they would all be in Crocus attending the Masquerade Ball that was being thrown by Princess Fiore. Normally Lucy would be quite thrilled about the event, but she still felt so vulnerable about everything or scared that it might happen again. All the 'whys' and 'how's' we're about to drive her crazy and Lucy vaguely registered the excited conversations from her girlfriends on what they were going to wear tomorrow night or who they were going to hook up with.

"So Lucy, do you think you and Natsu will finally get together at the ball tomorrow night?" Mira asked with hearts in her eyes.

Lucy nearly choked on her smoothie at the question, which got an amused chuckle out of Cana-whereas Erza also choked on her cake. When Lucy cleared her throat, she replied in an exasperated tone, "Natsu is like a brother to me, so we will never get together. There will be no pink haired brown eyed babies, so get that idea right out of your head Mira."

"Besides, Natsu isn't allowed to go to the ball because of the King's orders," Levy tried to stick up and help Lucy out.

"Why not?" Cana asked curiously.

"Because he stole the King's crown the last time," Lucy reminded them.

Mira and Cana nodded their heads in understanding before Erza added, "I've already planned the weekend for us anyways. Natsu, Gray, Happy, and myself will be spending some good old sibling time together by camping this weekend."

Lucy almost felt bad for the boys, but was just a little relieved that she didn't have to go with them because Hisui had requested she attend. So for the most part, Lucy would be able to keep to herself in her own room without her team asking her what's wrong constantly.

Cana scowled at Erza and asked, "If you're taking Gray then who's going to fuck me when I get drunk and horny?"

"Isn't that how you normally are?" Erza asked not seeing the real issue here.

It was a fair point on Erza's side, so Cana just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Fine, I'll just spend my time trying to get Lucy to lose her v-card."

Lucy felt like her heart had stopped and she felt sick to her stomach. She wasn't ready to date anyone. Especially not when she and Freed didn't know what had happened.

"That will be so much fun!" Mira squealed in delight, "Cana we need to make a list of all the eligible bachelors that will be there from all of the other guilds!"

"That's really not necessary," Lucy told them nervously as she glanced over at Freed who was also looking at her. She wished somehow he'd come rescue her from this ridiculous conversation.

"Lucy, you've been a cranky-moody bitch for almost a whole month. You need to cum on a guy's dick," Cana stated crudely.

Levy and Erza were stunned by the vulgarity of the conversation and Levy said, "If Lucy says she doesn't want to then just let her have fun in her own way."

"Easy for you to talk since Speedy bangs your brains out every night," Cana commented to Levy, making the bluenette blush like crazy.

"Levy's right," Erza added, "Lucy is a rare flower. Some one night stand is not good enough for her, she deserves better."

"Says the woman who is also getting laid on a regular basis thanks to ' _Mystogan_ ,'" Cana snorted loudly.

Erza's face turned the color of her hair when Mira said with a smile, "This man will fall in love with Lucy immediately, so there will be no one night stand."

Then before anything else could be said, the girls heard Freed yelling.

* * *

Freed had been sitting across the guild from Lucy, completely engulfed in an ancient tome that would hopefully give him some clue as to what had happened. However, somehow Freed instinctively knew the moment Lucy had walked into the guild. He felt terrible because she looked so tired and as though her joy had been sucked out.

Finally Bickslow asked, "Freed, what the hell have you been researching for nearly a whole month?"

The Rune Mage didn't look up when he replied flatly, "Just reading." He hated lying to his team but he promised Lucy not to tell anyone. The least he could do for her was to keep his word.

"Reading an ancient book that is in some dead language?" Evergreen asked with an arch to one of her defined eyebrows.

"Yes," was all Freed replied with.

Freed knew that Laxus was listening to the entire conversation, even though he was not saying anything. He had also observed that Laxus had never asked about Lucy again, much to his relief because he hated the idea of lying to his best friend.

"Please tell me you'll put the books away at the ball?" Bickslow sighed out.

Freed replied, "I hadn't planned on attending."

Evergreen's mouth fell open in shock and asked, "Why not?"

"Didn't see the point," Freed answered dryly.

"You don't see the point in dancing with lots of beautiful women?" Bickslow asked in disbelief.

Freed took a deep inhale, because once again he had come up with nothing from this book as well. He brushed it aside and opened the next one without even blinking before he finally answered Bickslow, "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, but I gotta look out for you Freed. Otherwise you'll end up alone," Bickslow laughed.

"What's wrong with being alone?" Freed asked as he finally looked up from his book.

Evergreen rolled her eyes before she added in, "Don't you want to fall in love?"

"I haven't really given it a lot of thought," Freed said as Lucy's face flashed in his mind. He remembered her breaking down in front of him and how helpless he had felt. He couldn't think of loving someone after what he had done to Lucy.

Bickslow and Evergreen both just shook their heads and Evergreen said in her commanding voice that made the three men always straighten up their acts and listen to her, "Freed Justine, you are coming to the ball because the Princess herself invited us and you will not take any books with you."

"Very well," Freed sighed out before Evergreen and Bickslow went to talk with Elfman and Lisanna.

Freed and Laxus sat in silence when Freed glanced over at Lucy again. He couldn't tell what was going on, but she looked upset as many of the girls hovered around her. Their eyes briefly met and Freed had the sudden urge to help her.

However, Laxus broke the trance when he asked, "Freed, it's been almost a month. Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Lucy? Don't deny it, I've seen how you keep glancing at her every few minutes."

"Nothing happened," Freed tried to lie.

Laxus sighed and said, "Freed, I've known you for too long, so I know when something's up with you. Plus you are a shitty liar. Wendy could probably sound more convincing with a lie."

When Freed remained silent, Laxus added, "Look, I know you were with her in an intimate way because of my Slayer nose. What I don't get is why you've both been acting strange as hell ever since. Was it a mistake or a one night stand kind of thing?"

"I'd rather not discuss it," Freed stated sternly.

"Freed c'mon man, did she reject you or something?" Laxus asked.

"Please drop this subject," Freed practically begged his friend.

"Where you not experienced enough for her?" Laxus asked, ignoring the request.

"I SAID DROP IT!" Freed said as he slammed the book shut that he had been reading.

The guild had gotten deathly silent when they realized that Freed had been the one that yelled. Then everyone was more at a loss for words when they realized that Freed had said it to Laxus of all people.

Lucy looked over at Freed and her heart filled with sorrow when Freed had grabbed the books he had been researching and walked past everyone to go to the guild's library. Her eyes couldn't help but follow him, but then she turned and looked at the Raijinshuu's table when Bickslow asked loudly, "What the hell was that?"

Laxus's and Lucy's eyes met and Lucy felt a chill go down her spine when Laxus narrowed his eyes at her. Laxus continued to look at her when he answered in a gruff tone, "Nothing."

Lucy didn't know what any of that was about. She had never heard Freed yell at Laxus. She was worried that it was about her though, because she could feel Laxus's eyes practically drilling a hole into her.

Everybody went back to what they were doing, but not without discussing why Freed had a sudden outburst like that. Laxus clearly wasn't going to talk about it, so everyone moved on.

Lucy however, took advantage of everyone being distracted—thanks to Mira and Cana making that ridiculous sex list. She slowly slid off the stool and began to make her way to the library too. She went there a lot so nobody would find it odd, except for Laxus who hadn't stopped watching her.

* * *

Lucy let out the breath she had been holding once she was finally in the library, because Laxus could no longer see her. She looked around and saw Freed across the room pulling more books off of the shelf. He had been relentless in his efforts to discover what had happened to them. She admired his determination.

She walked up behind him and asked in a soft voice, "Freed, is everything ok?"

Freed froze and turned to meet her worried gaze. "I'll be fine," Freed said in a somewhat harsh tone.

Seeing Freed look so troubled bothered her. He wouldn't have yelled at Laxus with no reason, because Freed wasn't like that. Lucy swallowed down her nerves and said in a shaky voice, "Freed, I'm sorry that this has caused a strain on your friendship with Laxus."

When Freed didn't reply, Lucy reached out and touched his hand that was reaching out to grab another book. Freed froze from the contact when Lucy whispered out, "Please rest for one day."

"I have to know though," Freed replied in a defeated tone. His shoulders slumped down as he let go of the book, but Lucy's hand remained on his. "I have to know why I did that to you," he whispered to her.

"Freed, look at me," Lucy said with a smile.

His beautiful blue eyes finally looked at her when she gently squeezed he hand and admitted, "I do not blame you for what happened. I've seen you relentlessly search for nearly a month now. Just rest for one day and go talk to Laxus."

"He might be disappointed in my actions if he knew the truth," Freed admitted, "I don't want to let him down."

Lucy couldn't help but rub soothing circles on Freed's hands while she said, "If you trust Laxus to keep it a secret, then I'll trust you Freed. I hate seeing what this has done to your friendship. However, I don't think Laxus would be disappointed in you because we don't know what happened, but once we do find out it still won't matter. We were clearly under a spell, we are not to blame from someone else's actions."

Freed nodded his head in understanding then Lucy added, "As for you yelling at him in front of the entire guild—I think he'll forgive you, especially if he knows the truth." Then she giggled, "Freed, you are one of the bravest people I've met because I've only seen Mira and Erza yell at Laxus and get away with it."

He couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle at Lucy's honesty, but then their eyes widened when they heard Laxus's deep voice say from behind them, "So since we've agreed that I can be trusted, do you two want to tell me what the hell is going on between you two?"

Lucy let go of Freed's hand as Laxus walked up to them and sat on the edge of one of the tables. He crossed his arms and looked at them both and Lucy was relieved when Freed took the lead and told Laxus everything that the two knew.

* * *

Lucy was amazed that Laxus never interrupted. Then when Freed finished, Laxus let out a heavy sigh from the bombardment of information.

Freed looked at Laxus and tried to say, "Laxus, I'm sorry for yell-."

Laxus held up his hand to cut his friend off before he replied, "There's nothing to apologize for. You were just trying to protect Lucy's honor and since you promised her to keep it a secret, I know why my interrogation bothered you so much."

Lucy smiled a little at the relief that washed over Freed's face. Then Laxus asked, "Has it happened again?"

"No," Freed admitted.

"I agree that it has to be a spell, but why target you two in particular?" Laxus said, voicing his own thoughts.

"That's what we are trying to figure out," Freed replied, "If we can figure out what kind of spell it was, we might be able to narrow down as to who did it to us."

Laxus took a deep breath and added in a monotone voice, "If you want my opinion, tell Gramps. He won't blab about it, especially since it's you two of all people."

Lucy wasn't sure what Laxus had meant by that before the blonde male added, "He's already in Crocus though so it'd be best to wait until after the ball."

Lucy could live with that. She had already waited almost a month, two more days wouldn't kill her. Then she looked at Freed and said, "I'm ok with that plan, but only if you stop your search and rest your mind for a few days."

Laxus snorted at the comment, because Freed rarely ever took a break when he couldn't solve a problem; however, the Rune Mage smiled back and replied, "Very well."

"All right, glad that's cleared up," Laxus said then he looked at Lucy and asked, "Does your team know?"

She shook her head no which made Laxus arch his brow. Then Lucy admitted, "I thought it'd be best if they didn't. They don't always listen to logic and I didn't like the idea of Freed getting blamed."

"Makes sense," Laxus grunted, "I'll keep your secret too."

Freed and Lucy both thanked Laxus before he left the library. Then Lucy turned to Freed and asked, "So are you going to the ball."

He was surprised by the sudden change in topic before he answered, "Yes, since I am required to take a break from my research. Plus Evergreen and Bickslow would have my head. You?"

"Yes, my team is not going but Hisui requested my presence," Lucy told him.

The two had never really had many interactions with each other before they slept together, so neither knew what to say. Then Lucy decided she better go pack, so she smiled at Freed and said, "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then?"

"Of course," Freed replied with a nod of his head.

As he watched Lucy walk away, his eyes drifted over her rounded ass. He felt a surge awaken in him slightly, but a few seconds later the moment had passed and he had no memory of checking out his guild mate.

* * *

The following night, the masquerade ball was in full swing. Lucy smiled at the delicious looking buffet table. She was a little worried that she would spill food on her gown, because Cancer had insisted that she wear a shimmering silver ball gown with a silver mask. It was rather lovely and she had to admit that she loved the way it glistened when she moved and she had missed wearing long elegant gloves…just a little bit.

Then just as she plopped a chocolate covered strawberry in her mouth, Princess Hisui walked up and said, "Lucy, you look like a princess!"

Lucy nearly snorted when she replied, "Says the actual princess. Why do you always find me when I'm shoving food in my mouth?"

Hisui just laughed at her friend and stated, "But thanks to the masks nobody knows that I'm the princess, they could think that it is you."

Lucy just shook her head because anyone with any sort of common sense could figure out who was who at the ball.

Then Hisui said, "Lucy, I wanted you to come here, because recently some of your Father's old books had come into my possession. As you are aware, your Father was a dear friend of mine before he passed away."

Lucy nodded her head in understanding, but was nervous because she didn't know where this conversation was heading. Then Hisui continued, "Your Father had agreed to help me with a project before he passed; you see I want to lay down more train tracks in other areas of Fiore where there are little to none. Since your Father was the expert, he was going to head the entire operation, but his notes on the project were lost until recently. Well not really lost, more like nobody knew that those were the plans."

Lucy got a faint smile on her face at the memory of one of her Father's quirks. When it came to big plans, he wrote everything in code so that no one could steal his ideas. She looked at Hisui and said, "And you need someone to translate his work because there is only one person alive who knows his code?"

Hisui laughed and admitted, "Precisely, but there was another reason why I wanted to bring this to you; I would like you to take your Father's place and head the project. You would not have to quit Fairy Tail and you could work from Magnolia, because I know that Fairy Tail is your home. Also, the pay is quite excellent."

Lucy was stunned by the offer. Her mind spun at the possibilities. While on one hand, she had originally ran away because she didn't want anything to do with her family's business. However, she knew her Father had changed before he died and this project was probably very important to him. Plus, she could have some extra income since her team was always destroying everything.

However, before she could answer, Hisui rested her hand on Lucy's arm and said, "You do not have to decide tonight and I must go greet our other important guests. Would it be alright if I sent your Father's work to your house in Magnolia for you to look over before you decide?"

Lucy smiled and replied, "That sounds fair."

"Excellent," the Princess stated in excitement before she excused herself.

Lucy took a deep breath at the idea. She smiled to herself, because she didn't know if she would ever get to use some of the skills that she had been taught growing up. With Hisui's help though, Lucy didn't have to worry about the many suitors that my try to approach her again once the Heartfilia name came back into play. Either way, she would wait and look at her Father's work before making a decision. Instead of worrying, like she had been for almost an entire month, tonight she would treat herself to just a little bit more chocolate.

* * *

Lucy was having a more enjoyable time than she thought she would have as she hung out with Yukino and Levy. The ball was grand and beautiful and this time since the rest of her team was on their camping trip, the chances of a fight breaking out where very low. However, Lucy was trying to stay as far away from Mira and Cana as possible, because Lucy had got a glimpse of the list Mira had made—which ended up having about 50 different names on it. She had already dodged Mira's attempts at getting her to dance with Sting as well as Eve. Cana however tried to get her hooked up with Bacchus and Lucy knew it was going to be a very long night.

Just as Yukino went to go dance with Rufus and Levy went to dance with Jet, Lucy couldn't help but wonder if Freed was around. She had tried to keep an eye out for him that night, but never found him. Of course when she saw Laxus she rolled her eyes because he had four different women hanging off of him—thank god he wasn't on the list that Mira had.

Then to Lucy's surprise, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Rogue Cheney standing before her. Lucy suddenly felt an odd pull towards him as his red eyes glowed at her. He looked quite sexy in his dark formal attire and the black mask that hid part of his face, it made him look even more mysterious and dreamy than usual.

Lucy tried to clear her head, because it felt so cloudy all of a sudden when she asked, "Rogue, how are you tonight?"`

Rogue gave her an almost devilish smirk as he replied, "I am well tonight, Lucy. However, I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you all evening."

Lucy nearly dropped the champagne glass that she had been holding at the sudden confession. "Well, I-I umm," was all she could seem to stutter out.

However, Rogue took her glass and handed it to one of the waiters that was walking by before he took her hand in his. He leaned in dangerously close to her as his lips brushed against her one of her ears and whispered, "Dance with me."

Lucy had the strangest feeling that something like this had happened before. She found no words to turn Rogue down and somewhere in her mind it tried to tell her that Rogue wouldn't normally act like this. However, the music turned into a sensual waltz and Rogue wrapped his arm around her narrow waist and pulled her up against his body. He smelled intoxicating to her, so much so that she wondered what his lips would feel like against hers.

* * *

Freed was rather put out as he stood in the grand ballroom. Evergreen had talked him into wearing a dark blue suit with a silvery tie and mask. Bickslow and Evergreen had tried to get him to dance with about a dozen different girls until Laxus finally told them to go have fun with their own significant others. He was grateful to his leader, because with everything happening with Lucy right now the last thing on his mind was dancing with some random girl at a masquerade ball.

He was enjoying the elegant music and he couldn't help but wonder where Lucy was in the mix of everything. He had heard that Cana and Mira were trying to set Lucy up with various men which he found oddly annoying; however, he had yet to see her with any of the men that were on this so called list.

He started to feel antsy though, like he needed to find her. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like she was in danger of some kind. He looked over at Laxus who now had several girls all over him, then Freed turned and saw her. His heart nearly stopped by her beauty. Not even the princess herself looked as radiant as Lucy did in her elegant shimmering silver ball gown. He let out a low growl in his voice by her sweetheart neckline that showed off her amazing breasts that he wanted to bury his face in.

Then Freed realized what he had just thought and before any warning signals could go off in his head, that he wasn't thinking clearly, he watched as Rogue Cheney approached Lucy then took her towards the dance floor. Freed felt pure hatred for the Shadow Dragon Slayer when he watched Rogue's hand wrap around Lucy's waist and pulled her against his body. How dare that bastard touch what belonged to him and what would belong to him again tonight.

* * *

Lucy seemed to lose all sense of awareness. Her head felt like it was spinning and it seemed to grow heavy. Her body almost felt like it was in some sort of danger, but there was nothing she could do about it. She felt sick and she wanted to get away.

Finally Rogue whispered in her ear, "Let's get out of here."

Lucy's head was screaming no, but her body was in a trance as Rogue took her hand to lead her away. But then Lucy stopped. It felt like her chest was being ripped open and her eyes began to water and she whispered, "No."

Rogue turned to look at her and his eyes were filled with anger, but nobody around them even seemed to notice what was happening between them. He held onto her wrist tightly and said in a harsh tone, "Come."

The pain in Lucy's chest became nearly unbearable the longer she refused him. She was just about to give into the pain when Freed came up and grabbed Rogue's arm and said in a threatening voice, "Stay away from what is mine."

Freed's eye had flashed purple for a brief second and Rogue's grip on Lucy lessened. Then before the Shadow Dragon Slayer disappeared, he said to Freed, "She won't be yours if you don't fully claim her."

Lucy felt relief by Freed's presence and the pain went away when she met his eyes. The closer she got to him the more her body called out for him. She reached for his hand and practically moaned, "Freed, I need you."

"I know," Freed growled as he led her off of the dance floor.

Lucy felt like she was practically running as Freed escorted her down one of the palace hallways. She vaguely registered people greeting them before Freed found and empty corridor. They stopped outside one of the rooms and Freed said, "In here."

Lucy obeyed and the moment they were inside, Freed put up a hundred different runes in seconds. Then he grabbed her arm and pressed her back against the door roughly. He blocked her way with his arms and her heart began to pound in excitement as his blue eyes roamed over her body.

He began to kiss her neck slowly and she could feel her body start to come alive as his touch sent adrenaline coursing through her veins. His teeth scrapped against her neck gently before he asked, "Did you like it when Rogue touched you?"

"I wanted it to stop," she admitted to him, "But there was so much pain."

Freed replied darkly as his eye turned purple once more, "That's because he touched what is already mine."

"Oh Freed," Lucy moaned before Freed pulled down Lucy's sweetheart neckline and hungrily kissed and licked her breasts. His touch soothed her, like water after being in the heat for so long, but at the same time it made her crave him more and it felt like her mind was about to explode if he wasn't inside of her soon.

He pulled his lips away from one of her perky nipples and met her gaze again before he said in a dark tone, "Just so there is no question as to who you belong to, I'm going to fuck you all night long."


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy felt so relaxed as her body started to wake up. She felt like she had the best night sleep ever. Then she felt a hand on her hip that made her eyes shoot open and she nearly screamed when she came face to face with an equally surprised and naked Freed Justine.

"Freed!" Lucy eeped then she did scream when she realized that she was naked as well and had just flashed Freed a nice shot of her tits.

"Lucy!" Freed said in a shocked tone as a deep blush covered his face and he turned to look away to give Lucy some privacy.

Lucy's body began to tremble, because it happened again. She tried to rack her brain in hopes that she would remember what had transpired the night before. She tried to take a few calming breaths, but couldn't help when a few tears started to fall down her face.

Then Freed admitted when he saw their torn clothes strung around the room, "I have no memory of what happened. The last thing I remember is seeing Laxus with several women."

"That's actually the last thing I remember seeing too," Lucy whispered in response.

Freed and Lucy were both still sitting on the bed, but their backs were facing each other out of shame. Lucy had a strange feeling that last night was different than the first time but she couldn't remember why. She tried to wipe away some of her tears before she added, "Freed, I have a weird feeling that something odd happened last night—I mean besides us obviously fucking each other's brains out again."

The Rune Mage narrowed his eyes and said, "Since Laxus is the last person we both remember seeing, we should ask him if he noticed anything."

Lucy just nodded her head in agreement before Freed added, "However, as I look at the room we are in now. It seems we are still in the palace and..."

"And what?" Lucy asked with concern, because Freed's voice had gotten darker and more serious.

"The runes in the room around us, I must have put up; however, they are some of the most elaborate and complex runes I had ever seen," Freed stated as he reached for his sword and then lit up the room so Lucy could see runes on top of runes on top of runes.

"How..." was all Lucy could whisper out.

"I do not know how I could have done them so fast. Furthermore, the runes I put up around our houses in Magnolia would probably take less than a minute to crack if I could write all these intricate ones in just a night," Freed admitted; normally he loved a good mystery, but not when he was clearly causing Lucy pain. Then he finished by saying, "It doesn't seem like it will take but a moment to dispel the runes."

"Why's that?" Lucy asked.

"Clearly I wanted a fast escape," Freed admitted in shame.

Lucy felt humiliated and couldn't help it when she started to sob. She had to pull herself together because she was still butt naked with just a sheet wrapped around her with Freed in the room, but she just couldn't help it. She felt used, like somebody was taking away her choices.

Freed hated hearing Lucy cry, but he didn't know what to do. He wanted to help her but he felt like he had no right to. They hadn't really been friends before and now he had stolen her innocence. Even if he couldn't remember the deed, he still felt responsible. He never should have come to the ball, because then Lucy would have been safe from him.

* * *

While Freed prepared to dispel the runes, Lucy summoned out Virgo to help with clothes since both Lucy's and Freed's were pretty damaged. Plus if they saw anyone from the guild then it probably wouldn't be wise to have on the same clothes they had on from the night before. Lucy could already hear Cana laughing her ass off because if anyone saw them then it would look like the walk of shame.

Freed had kept his back to Lucy so that she could put on some clothes; however, Virgo stood nervously before her and kept glancing towards Freed. Lucy noticed that something was up and whispered, "Virgo, what's wrong?"

The Maid Spirit had a sad look in her eyes before she held out a pack of birth control pills. Lucy blinked at it for a moment and then her eyes widened in realization that she was supposed to have started her new pack last night.

"V-Virgo I-I never..." Lucy stammered out. Her mind was screaming to stay calm, but her body wasn't listening.

Freed could hear the two women behind him as he finished buttoning up the dress coat that Virgo had brought for him. He didn't want to turn around if Lucy was still undressed, but then he felt a surge in him when he heard Lucy start to hyperventilate.

He quickly turned around and asked, "Lucy, what's wrong?"

He saw that Lucy was sitting on the bed with her face in her hands and Virgo was holding a little packet of pills. He wanted to comfort her and tell her that everything would be all right, but he didn't know how she would react to that. He felt like he had ruined her life in some way and then he realized what the pills Virgo was holding were. He had seen Evergreen with them enough to recognize birth control.

He tried to keep his composure when he asked, "Didn't you take an emergency contraceptive the first time?"

"Yes!" Lucy snapped at him, "But I'm still late!"

Virgo went back to the Celestial Realm, after she had gotten their torn clothes, to give the two some privacy. She felt bad for both mages and even Leo had agreed that Freed could not be blamed. He was a man of honor above all else and wouldn't ever take advantage of Lucy, but they hated that someone or something was toying with their Master this way.

After Virgo left, Lucy sighed and apologized, "Freed, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just so scared and angry. Sex is supposed to be great and with someone you love. Not from spells with huge gaps in your memories."

Freed wasn't sure why but he felt a pang in his chest when Lucy more or less admitted that she did not love him. Either way he calmly replied, "I believe emergency contraceptives can alter your regular cycle, so perhaps it is nothing to worry about."

Lucy didn't seem to buy it, but nodded her head before the two got ready to leave. Lucy prayed that nobody would hassle them as they left the palace and when she got back to Magnolia, the first thing she was going to do was buy a pregnancy test.

* * *

They finally reached the Honey Bone Inn, where the guild was staying. Lucy had told Freed which room she was staying in so that Freed could grab Laxus first and they could discuss last night in private. She was so thankful that her team wasn't here because once again Natsu would probably give away to everyone that Lucy smelled like Freed.

When they waked in, the guild was causing a happy ruckus as usual and Freed watched as Lucy quickly dodged everyone and ran up the stairs. He looked around and saw Laxus in the corner with his eyes closed and his headphones on. Luckily Evergreen and Bickslow were distracted by the Strauss siblings, so Freed made his way over to his leader.

As Freed headed towards Laxus, he had walked past Gajeel who choked on a nail he had been eating. Then the Iron Dragon slayer said in an amused voice, "Smells like somebody got a piece of Bunny Ass last night."

Freed felt anger flare up in his chest and turned towards Gajeel, but then Laxus appeared between the two males and pointed at Gajeel and said in a lowered tone, "Nobody can know."

Gajeel arched his brow at the two men and shrugged his shoulders before he said, "Good thing Salamander isn't here, but I'd stay away from Wendy. She's off with that other wind chick right now though."

Laxus patted Freed's shoulder and said, "I'll meet you upstairs, but I'll grab Gramps first."

Freed nodded in understanding. He noticed that something was off about him. He still felt threatened by what Gajeel had said and for some reason felt the urge to fight him. However, he regained his composure and headed up the stairs towards Lucy's room.

* * *

It didn't take long for Laxus and Master Makarov to make their way to Lucy's room too. She felt sick to her stomach. She was so worried about what Master Makarov would think of her once he knew.

Her nerves just grew when the elderly Master sat on one of the chairs and listened to Freed's story. She felt like she was going to throw up and she had no idea how every male in the room right now seemed so calm. It kind of pissed her off.

When Freed finished the little details they knew from last night, Master Makarov turned to Laxus and asked, "Do you remember seeing Lucy and Freed leave?"

"No, the last time I saw Freed he was standing alone and Lucy..." Laxus trailed off as his brows furrowed together.

"What was I doing?" Lucy asked in desperation.

"You talked to the princess and then...it's a blank. But somehow I feel like something strange happened, but I can't remember what. I didn't even notice that you two were missing until you guys got back this morning," Laxus admitted, "It's like my mind forgot you existed or it blocked you out."

Master Makarov grew more serious and then asked Laxus to retrieve his communication lacrima. Lucy didn't know what was happening, but watched as Porlyusica's grumpy face appeared on the screen.

"What the hell has your guild gone now?" the elderly woman snapped at him.

However, Porlyusica's demeanor instantly changed when Master Makarov said seriously, "Two of my children need to see you. We are leaving from Crocus immediately."

Porlyusica just nodded before Makarov ended the call. Then the Master said, "Laxus, take them now and I'll tell Mira that we have some business to attend to so that they don't follow or wait for us. I will catch up shortly."

Lucy was scared. Then when Laxus went to get his things, she looked at Freed and asked, "Do you think it's that bad?"

Freed replied grimly, "For your sake, I hope not."

* * *

It was early in the evening when the four finally reached Porlyusica's. Everyone had been overly quiet and Master Makarov kept patting her and telling her that everything would be ok, but Lucy wasn't entirely convinced. Also, every time she looked at Freed he was always deep in his thoughts. She knew that they weren't a couple or anything, but he was the only other person that could relate to what she was going through. She had clearly slept with him now more than once and she just wanted a hug. She can't remember the last time someone hugged her.

They didn't even have to knock on Porlyusica's door, because she had already opened it for them. Lucy felt so nervous, because Porlyusica wasn't known for being the kindest person; however, Lucy could tell that Porlyusica knew that something serious had happened because Master Makarov was acting overly serious.

After they had all gotten inside, Porlyusica turned towards Makarov and asked, "So what is this about?"

Porlyusica motioned for them to have a seat when Makarov began to tell Porlyusica about what was happening between Freed and Lucy. She felt embarrassed when her Guild Master told the woman how her virginity was taken, but Porlyusica's never changed her expression.

Once Makarov was finished with the tale, he asked, "Do you remember that spell you told me about when we were younger? Could this be it?"

Freed and Lucy sat in silence as they waited for the elderly woman to speak. Then it a somewhat sympathetic tone she said, "You are correct in assuming that it was a spell. A very old, very powerful one."

"But why now?" Master Makarov asked, "Why Freed and Lucy?"

Lucy took a deep breath to calm her nerves before Porlyusica answered, "The spell was designed to create offspring."

Freed paled and Lucy started to cry, even Laxus looked stunned. Then Freed gathered his composure before he asked, "But why us specifically?"

"It is both simple and complicated. Freed you use Dark Magic, whereas Lucy uses Light. The woman has to be a virgin for the spell to work properly. It could have happened with any Dark Mage in the area, but both mages have to be strong for it to work," Porlyusica added grimly, "Freed was probably the strongest Dark Mage in the area which is probably for the best, because the spell is so strong that even Zeref himself would have slept with Lucy."

"But Lucy said she was on birth control and she took an emergency contraceptive, won't the spell fail?" Laxus asked.

"I've never seen the spell in action before, because the last record of it being activated was over 200 years ago—so I can't say for certain, but from what I have read...it will continue to happen to you both until the job is done," Porlyusica answered sadly.

Freed wasn't convinced though when he stated in disbelief, "You said any Dark Mage would have attempted this with Lucy. I was not the strongest Dark Mage there last night. I know Rogue was there and he's a Dragon Slayer."

"You were the strongest," Lucy whispered to him, "Remember all those runes you put up? Only an incredibly powerful Dark Mage could have done that."

Lucy started crying harder and the old woman handed her a box of tissues, while Master Makarov patter her knee. Laxus even looked upset by the news and Freed felt terrible. Lucy was having her future taken from her and he didn't know how to stop it.

"There is more," Porlyusica said, "The purpose for the child is to bring balance to the world; equally dark and light. Other Dark Mages will still be drawn to Lucy so that she can bear their children."

"But I'm not a virgin anymore," Lucy whimpered out, "Why would they still be coming for me?"

"I cannot be certain. The spell usually always rests on the female that is chosen. The virgin is not always a light magic user. For example, if Mirajane were a virgin then she could have also been chosen for the spell; however, the male would have had to have been a light user to counteract her darkness. It probably would have been someone like Master Sting or even Jellal. My guess is the reason why it chose you both was because Lucy was the strongest female virgin and Freed was the closest Dark Mage. However, when I first learned about the spell a long time ago it seemed that the woman never knew the identity of the father. It was usually triggered from two random strangers, but the world is more crowded now and it is more likely that a Dark and Light Mage would know each other."

Lucy couldn't stop crying. How could this be happening? She had never even had a first real kiss and now she was supposed to have a child. She didn't know how to be a parent! Her mom had died and her dad was so distant.

"Is there anything we can do help them?" Master Makarov asked his old friend.

"I do not know; however, I will look for you," Porlyusica said to them before she turned to Lucy and said, "I went ahead and bought you a pregnancy test if you would like to try."

Lucy couldn't do anything except for cry and then Porlyusica told the men to get out so that Lucy could have some privacy. Freed didn't want to leave Lucy. He felt responsible still, even after knowing that the spell was put on them both. Her choices were being taken away and he couldn't stop it. However, Porlyusica got somewhat violent when the men didn't get out fast enough.

Lucy didn't know what to do when she admitted, "What will I do though if I'm actually pregnant?"

Porlyusica sat down next to her. The old woman hated people, but Makarov's brats had a special place in her heart. Plus Wendy looked up to Lucy a lot. The old woman then said, "Lucy, I will tell the men this while you are taking the test; however, you should know that the women who bore these children were usually killed."

Lucy felt like her heart had stopped, but Porlyusica continued, "The children of the Light and Dark mages were usually incredibly powerful; however, because the women didn't even know they had had intercourse with a man—they were completely shocked when they found out that they were pregnant. They could never figure out who the father might be so they were all alone. I cannot be certain about any of this, but what I can say for certain is that you will be well protected in Fairy Tail. Makarov won't let anything happen to you."

Lucy knew that Porlyusica was trying to be nice and she supposed that it did make her feel a little better, but still…she was mad. She didn't want to be a mom, she didn't want to lose her virginity this way, and she didn't want her life chosen for her. This is why she ran away in the first place all those years ago. She wanted to be just Lucy.

Finally Lucy decided that she was just going to take the rest of the day a few minutes at a time. There had to be a way to undo the spell or make it stop. She just tried to breathe as she headed to the bathroom to take the test. She quickly read the instructions and peed on the stupid little stick. This was going to be the longest two minutes of her life.


	5. Chapter 5

Porlyusica closed her door behind her while Lucy went to use her bathroom to take the test. She felt pity for Makarov's children to be subjugated to this kind of barbaric spell.

She looked at her old friend and Laxus and Freed both looked at her when she said, "Makarov, if Lucy is not already pregnant then the spell will keep working until she is."

"But did someone activate it or does it happen every few hundred years?" Makarov asked her.

"That I don't know, but everyone in your guild should be informed so that we can find out. However, no one must know besides the members of Fairy Tail because it gets worse," Porlyusica replied grimly.

"What do you mean worse?" Freed asked in concern for Lucy.

"I have already warned Lucy, but you all should know that in most of the cases I read, the women all ended up dead," the elderly woman informed them.

"How?" Laxus asked in agitation, because neither Freed nor Lucy deserved this. Even if Freed was a dark Mage, he was one of the most honorable people Laxus had ever met.

"It was never clear, but in my honest opinion these children were taken from their mothers because of how strong their magic was. It was a different time back then and if a woman found out that she was pregnant and not married then shame would have befallen on that household. Most likely the women told no one and ran away and a woman would be completely vulnerable while giving birth. Without the Father's protection, or anyone's really, the women were found slaughtered once the children had been born," Porlyusica informed them.

Freed thought he was going to vomit, then Laxus barked out, "But how would these sick fucks find the child to begin with? Freed and Lucy searched for nearly a goddamn month and found nothing about any sort of spell like this!"

Then Makarov finally spoke up and said, "They didn't find anything because any book that would have records like that would have already been locked up by the Magic Council, burned, or in the hands of a renegade Mage. No ordinary guild would have that kind of book because some magic is best left hidden."

"By why the fuck now?" Laxus grumbled.

"That's what we should find out and that is why Fairy Tail needs to be aware because Lucy's life and her child will be in grave danger," Porlyusica snapped back at Laxus.

Freed felt overwhelmed and terrified for Lucy, but then before anything else could be said, Laxus whispered, "Shit, this isn't good."

Porlyusica's door flew open and Freed's heart broke when he saw Lucy's bloodshot eyes and pale face staring at him. She held the pregnancy test in her hand as she walked up to him and slapped it into his chest before she said in a terrifying monotone voice, "Congratulations, you are going to be a Father."

Freed looked down in shock and disbelief and saw the plus sign, revealing that Lucy was indeed pregnant. However, that didn't matter to him—what mattered was Lucy.

Makarov called out to Lucy and said, "Wait child!"

"I'd rather be alone right now," Lucy whispered back before she disappeared into the woods.

Makarov and Porlyusica both looked troubled, but Freed wasn't going to abandon Lucy. Not when she could be in danger. He put the pregnancy test in Laxus's hand before he followed after Lucy.

The Rune Mage barely heard his best friend yell, "I don't want to hold this! Didn't she pee on it!?"

* * *

Lucy's mind didn't know how to comprehend everything and her body felt like it was shutting down in despair. She was so overwhelmed that she didn't even noticed when she tripped on a tree branch and went crashing down to the ground.

Her mind barely registered the pain as she curled herself into a fetal position and began to cry. She let it all out in the silent woods that surrounded her. She hated everything right now.

She had fallen so far into despair that she didn't even notice when two strong arms picked her up and started carrying her back towards Magnolia. In the back of her mind was that voice saying that she should feel somewhat alarmed, but the touch of the person carrying her felt familiar and safe.

* * *

After a few minutes, Lucy finally opened her eyes and saw Freed's serious face. She tried to wipe away her tears before she whispered, "You can put me down. You don't have to carry me."

"You're bleeding," Freed replied sternly, "Besides we are almost to your apartment."

Lucy didn't have the strength to argue with him as she rested her head against his chest. However, she had to ask, "Freed, what are we going to do?"

Freed did not answer right away because they had reached Lucy's apartment. After her carried her up the stairs he finally sat her down so that she could unlock her door. She felt helpless when Freed opened it for her and led her over to her couch and asked, "Where do you keep your first aid kit?"

"Under my bed," Lucy whispered.

Freed just nodded and went to retrieve it while Lucy finally looked down and saw the huge gash on her knee. She felt like she was having an out of body experience as Freed kneeled before her and began to clean and dress her wound.

After he had finished and washed his hands, Lucy stated, "You haven't answered my question."

She looked over at Freed who stood rigid before her and she waited for him to speak. Finally the Rune Mage said in a sad voice, "I would never have wished this fate on anyone, especially you."

Lucy just replied, "I'm sorry this can't be easy on you either. I'm sorry for being selfish."

"You have every right to be. I'm not going to be the one actually carrying our child. You have every right to hate me," Freed stated.

"You are a victim too. I could never hate you Freed. At least Zeref's not the Dad to be," Lucy laughed out nervously.

"About that," Freed said quietly before he got down on one knee and took Lucy's hand.

Lucy's eyes widened in shock when Freed asked, "Lucy Heartfilia, would you marry me?"

Lucy sat dumbfounded before Freed before she laughed then yelled, "Have you lost your goddamn mind!?"

Freed looked taken aback before he replied, "Well I was raised that the mother of your child should be your wife…"

Lucy let out a heavy sigh before she replied, "Well Freed I was raised the same way, but life doesn't always turn out that way. Now will you please stand up? This is ridiculous! You don't even love me!"

The Rune Mage looked ashamed and Lucy just shook her head and couldn't help it when she started laughing. Freed looked at her in shock which just made Lucy laugh even harder. Then Freed asked, "Please tell me what is so humorous to you."

"This!" Lucy said as she waved her arms in the air, "This is absolutely ridiculous!"

Freed looked at Lucy and let out a faint chuckle and agreed, "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Freed, what are we going to do?" Lucy asked more seriously.

"Did Porlyusica tell you about how the mothers ended up?" Freed asked in a grim tone.

"Dead," Lucy whispered out.

Freed nodded his head then added, "I won't give up looking for a way to protect you from all of this; however, Porlyusica believes that our guild and only our guild should know about it. We do not know if someone has cast the spell for this to happen or if it was a random occurrence."

"So everyone will know that I'm pregnant?" Lucy asked quietly. She didn't know how her team would react or the rest of the guild. Would Natsu be ashamed of her? She had no idea how her best friend would react to the news once he found out.

"I believe so. It's the best way that we can protect you," Freed replied.

"And I can't even get an abortion from the sounds of it, because the magic would just start back up again until I got pregnant again. I would just be delaying everything," Lucy added as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"Yes, that sounds about right. Plus if you were to get an abortion, then I might not even be the father of the next child, because another Dark Mage could fall under the same spell," Freed said darkly.

Lucy felt a shiver go down her spine. She didn't like the idea that she and Freed had had sex without their knowledge, but at least she knew Freed. She'd probably feel a hell of a lot worse if she found out that it was some creepy stranger that she had slept with.

Right now everything was too overwhelming for Lucy to even think straight. She decided that for now she would try not to worry and deal with everything in the morning. If she thought about everything now then she'd probably lose her mind or spend the whole night crying in despair. She didn't like any of this and just wanted to be free, but she knew that Freed probably wanted the same thing and she felt selfish that she was only thinking about herself. He didn't ask to become a Father, he didn't want to steal her virginity, and he would never want to hurt a guild mate ever again. None of this was fair to either of them.

She turned back towards Freed and said, "So I guess you and I are going to be parents."

Freed just nodded before he put his hand on top of Lucy's and said, "I promise that I will protect you both."

* * *

In the northern most part of Fiore, a carriage arrived outside of a large castle. The wind and rain howled against the massive structure and the man who stepped out of the carriage wrapped his cloak tightly around him before he made his way up the steps to deliver the news.

The castle was warm on the inside despite its cold gothic architecture and one of the servant's took the tall man's cloak before they greeted him, "My Master awaits you in his study. Please follow me."

The tall man followed the nervous servant before he opened the door and motioned for him to enter. As he walked in, he saw the master of the castle sitting by the fireplace drinking a glass of red wine.

The master's cold blue eyes turned to him then he motioned for him to have a seat next to the fire. The master poured his friend a glass of wine and asked, "I take it the spell worked?"

The tall, dark haired man replied, "Well we won't be entirely certain for a few months. Once the mother starts to show and it she gets closer to the birth, then we can be more certain."

"And you think my child will be the Father?" the Master asked after he took a sip of his wine.

"I casted the spell right over Magnolia and he was the strongest male Dark Mage in the vicinity," the tall man added.

The Master began to chuckle before he replied, "We both have foolish sons don't we? Thinking that they can forget their family ties so easily when we were what made them who they are today."

"No doubt my son will try and help yours. After all they are best friends, just like we are," the tall man added in with an evil laugh.

"And to think that there was still a Heartfilia still alive in the world. This will work out in more ways than I dared hope for," the Master smirked.

"Likewise," the tall man added, "The Heartfilia girl is one of my Father's favorite children. I can't wait to watch his reaction when I take something precious from him."

"Now remember, I will need to keep the mother alive for a while to make sure that the child gets nurtured properly. Plus, my son will do anything I say once he realizes that I have his child and his beautiful heiress guild mate," The Master added.

"I'm well aware, Lord Justine," the tall man replied as Lord Justine poured him more wine, "That is where it will work towards my benefit. Once my Father knows you have Lucy Heartfilia and her child, I have no doubt that my Father will finally give me Lumen Histoire."

"Ivan, do we know for certain that Lucy Heartfilia was indeed a virgin?" Lord Justine asked.

"That is what I tortured out of a girl that was in my guild before I killed her. I pushed her past her breaking point," Ivan smirked at the memory of killing Flare with his bare hands.

"I take it you disposed of the body?" Lord Justine asked.

"Of course," Ivan smiled.

Lord Justine nodded his head before he stated, "In December, I will send my spies into Magnolia to spy on our children. We will lure them into a false sense of security. If we do nothing for most of her pregnancy then they will most likely assume that it was a spell that happened by chance."

Ivan nodded in agreement before Lord Justine finished, "Then when the time is right and Miss Heartfilia is most vulnerable, we will take her and her child."


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy woke up to see that the sun was shining but the weather in Magnolia had dropped quite a bit. Normally she'd be fairly happy to see the sun coming through on a brisk fall day with all the trees still red and orange; however, today was the day that Master Makarov was going to inform the guild about her pregnancy and she couldn't find it in herself to even want to get out of bed.

Last night Freed had stayed with her until she had started to fall asleep. Honestly she didn't know what to think about him. She knew that none of this was his fault, but she didn't understand how he could stay so calm. She was freaking out on the outside and the inside, but if he was freaking out then he was hiding it well. She repeatedly told him last night that he did not have to stay and sit with her and yet he stayed anyways. Deep down she was relieved because she didn't want to be alone; however, she felt guilty like she was now some burden for him to carry.

Then before Lucy's thoughts could sink any lower, there was a slight knock on the door and Lucy heard Freed's voice say, "Lucy it's me. I brought you some breakfast."

A small smile graced her face as she called back and said, "Just a second."

She pulled the blankets off of her and didn't care that she was still in her pajamas. Since it was so cold last night, she decided that she'd wear cute hot pink bottoms with an oversized black tunic shirt. She just had no motivation right now to get all dolled up.

When she opened the door the first thing she said was, "You didn't have to come."

Freed's facial expression never changed when he answered, "I am aware; however, I thought it'd be best to sit with you while Master informs the guild. Besides, I don't want you to feel like you have to go through this alone."

Lucy stood aside and allowed Freed in her home and he sat down the bagels and drink that he had brought for her. Then she added, "What I mean is, you don't have to do nice things like this. Like bring me breakfast and stuff. It's weird."

The moment she said it she wished that she could take her words back because of the hurt look on Freed's face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it in a harsh way," Lucy apologized.

Freed just replied, "Forgive me, I can leave you alone if you wish."

"No, I'm sorry," Lucy whispered back, "Thank you for the breakfast because I probably wouldn't have eaten anything."

"Of course," Freed replied with a faint smile.

Lucy sat down on her couch and motioned for Freed to sit next to her. This was all very uncomfortable and weird for her. This man had technically seen her in a way that no man ever had, yet he had no memory of making love to her. She couldn't help but wonder a little at how good he was or what he looked like naked. It was hard to miss that Freed was a very attractive man. He wasn't built like a house like Laxus or Elfman, nor was he overtly sexy like Gray. He was handsome in a regal way, unlike any other Fairy Tail male. He was like a prince.

"Hey Freed," Lucy asked, "Do you think we will ever get our memories back?"

"I am unsure," Freed replied in a gentle tone, "Now that Porlyusica gave us more information to go off of, I have begun to look elsewhere for my research. At least now we know what we are looking for sort of."

"After you left here, you went and did more research?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

"Of course. I hate unanswered questions and if there is a way to stop this from happening for your sake then I'd gladly search all night every night," Freed admitted.

Lucy felt a pang in her chest at Freed's honesty. She felt so guilty for moping around when Freed had never given up trying to help her. Then Lucy cleared her throat and asked, "So I take it that you don't want a child?"

Freed appeared to be caught off guard by the question a little and looked at Lucy as she nibbled on her bagel. He took a deep inhale before he answered, "Whether I want one in the future I do not know. I do know that I wasn't expecting to be a Father right now and with a woman that I have no memory of having relations with. Having said that, with this child I would still plan to be the best Father that I could."

Lucy couldn't help but smile warmly at Freed's last statement before she added, "You are always so noble."

He let out a faint chuckle and replied, "I don't know about that, but I feel honor bound to protect you and our future child. If I ever let the evil things befall on either of you, like what Porlyusica described last night, then I'd never be able to forgive myself."

Lucy didn't know why, but Freed's statement didn't sit right with her. Of course she had no reason to believe that Freed saw her as anything more than a guild mate that he'd protect, but it still hurt her. Here sat the man that took her virginity. Yes he didn't remember, but in her mind something like that was so supposed to be special and with someone special. Not like this.

She couldn't help it when a few tears started to fall down her eyes and then Freed said, "Forgive me for upsetting you."

Lucy shook her head no and then said, "It's not that. It's just…I almost feel like I'm being punished for not losing my virginity sooner."

Freed didn't say anything when Lucy added, "It's not fair. I was saving myself and I've had plenty of opportunities to sleep with other people, but I always said no because it didn't feel right. Now that choice was taken from me and it's with a guy who only sees me as a guild mate. It's just frustrating."

Freed blinked in surprise before he answered honestly, "I see you as more than a guild mate."

"W-what?" Lucy asked in shock as she tried to wipe away the tears that continued to fall.

"I always saw you as someone I looked up to," Freed admitted sheepishly.

"But I'm younger than you!" Lucy argued, but couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I'm aware," Freed smiled at her, "But what I meant was—your kindness, your determination to never give up, the way you forgive and care for others. Given your background in high society, your compassion is a rare quality."

Lucy thought about her Father and couldn't help but wonder at what her Father would think about her being pregnant if he were still alive. She supposed he'd be happy that she was going to produce an heir, but for all she knew it was going to be a girl. However, he might not be happy since it wasn't with a nobleman that he didn't pick out. Then if he really had changed he might just be supportive and help her so she didn't feel alone.

"Thank you," Lucy finally whispered back from Freed's compliment before she added, "But I'm just Lucy. That's all I ever wanted to be. But I'm scared Freed."

Freed took a deep breath before he admitted, "As am I, but our friends will be there for us."

"You are scared?!" Lucy asked in shock.

"Of course. I didn't have the best Fatherly example and I don't know what it's like to be a Father. There is only so much research you can do on something like that because every child is different," Freed admitted.

"What was your Father like?" Lucy asked in understanding.

"Nothing that I would like to discuss right now," Freed said seriously.

Lucy just nodded. Everyone had their own past and she had no idea at what kind of childhood Freed had. She now realized that he must have grown up somewhere else, because she didn't remember seeing any pictures of him as a child in Fairy Tail like other people. Perhaps she would find out another day.

Once she was finished with her bagel, she asked, "Do you think that Master is telling everyone now?"

Freed looked at the clock and replied, "He just started to."

* * *

"Listen up brats!" Master Makarov announced as he stood on top of the bar.

Laxus was leaning against one of the pillars with his arms crossed. He watched as Porlyusica came in to stand next to the bar by his Gramps. Earlier that morning he had spoken with Freed who told him that he would not be attending because he wanted to check on Lucy. Laxus would never admit this to his friend, but he was a little jealous of Freed. Sure he wasn't jealous that Freed had knocked up Lucy because of some creepy ass spell. He also felt a little bad that his friend had no memory of doing the actual deed with the voluptuous blonde. However, Freed was going to be a Father with the most beautiful girl in Fairy Tail—someone that Laxus himself had been pining over for years. Laxus knew that Lucy had such a good heart and Freed was the most loyal person ever that they'd probably end up falling in love. It pained Laxus to admit that, but he supposed he was happy for his friend—even though deep down he wished that it was him instead.

The guild finally quieted down and luckily Erza had punched both Natsu and Gray in the gut because they were about to start a fight. Then Laxus heard Happy ask, "Natsu, where's Lucy?"

"I don't know," Natsu whispered in realization that his best friend was not present.

Laxus took a deep breath, because he knew that this wasn't going to be good. Then his Gramps cleared his throat and continued, "Natsu! If you will be quiet I can explain where Lucy is."

The guild immediately went silent, because of Master Makarov's tone. If there was one thing that got the guild serious fast was the idea of Lucy being in danger. The girl had a way of wrapping everyone around her finger.

Then Master Makarov said seriously, "What I am about to tell you all is a secret that all of you must swear by. Two of our own have been put in a situation that neither of them asked for and it is imperative that we as a guild protect their secret and protect them."

Laxus watched Team Natsu when they grew the most serious because they could already sense that the issue had to do with their Lucy. Then Master Makarov added, "A month ago, a spell had befallen over two of our loved ones. We do not know yet if this spell was an ancient one that happened by chance or if someone enacted the ancient spell. However, what's done is done and all we can do now is protect Lucy and Freed from the repercussions."

Laxus closed his eyes and inhaled sharply when the guild about lost their cool. He could sense Bickslow and Evergreen walk up to him because they now understood why Freed was not here. Then Erza spoke up and asked, "What do you mean? What has happened to Freed and Lucy?"

Master Makarov nodded towards Porlyusica who answered, "About a month ago, the spell that Makarov spoke of bewitched both Freed and Lucy. The spell's main purpose is to produce a child that is balanced in both light and dark magic."

The guild went deathly silent and Laxus heard Bickslow swear under his breath before Porlyusica said, "Freed and Lucy met the criteria of the spell and they are now expecting a child together; however, neither of them remember being together so do not bombard them or make light of the situation. It is a barbaric ritual that has often led to the mother of the child's death."

Laxus popped his eye opened with Gray yelled, "What the hell do you mean? Is Lucy's life in danger?"

Porlyusica looked at the Ice Mage and replied in a stern voice, "Yes."

"Why?" Erza asked, her voice nearly breaking from anger for her friend, "Why would this happen and why specifically Freed and Lucy?"

Then Evergreen who was also concerned for her friend, "Also, why is Lucy's life in danger and not Freed's?"

Master Makarov raised his hand and answered, "Freed and Lucy were picked mostly because of their opposite magic."

Laxus knew that Porlyusica and his Gramps were trying to protect Lucy's dignity by not pointing out that it happened to her mostly because she was a virgin. Then his Gramps added, "Lucy is in danger, because what we have gathered from research is that the mother of the child, that Freed and Lucy will produce, will be exceptionally powerful and many dark mages will try to take the child."

Then Porlyusica added, "In the past, these spells were activated by chance with a dark and light mage and often times the woman had no way of knowing how she was pregnant because the victims have no memory of sleeping together. The women were alone and vulnerable when their children were taken."

Then Cana spoke up and asked, "So is that why we need to keep it a secret? We don't know if it was a spell by chance or if some sick bastard did this to our friends?"

Makarov nodded his head and said, "As far as we know, if Lucy were to abort the child than the spell would continue and would keep happening until she produced a child. No other guild must know and certainly not the Magic Council. As far as the world is concerned, Lucy and Freed knowingly slept together and Lucy became impregnated."

"I don't buy it!" Gray snapped out.

"What's there to buy, Gray?" Cana asked her lover.

"Freed has no memory at all of having sex with Lucy?" Gray asked as he looked over toward Laxus and his team.

"No," Laxus said flatly, "Just like Lucy has no memory of being with Freed."

Gray snorted and said, "I'll believe that when I ask her myself."

"What makes you think Freed would have the memory of doing that to Cosplayer?" Bickslow asked in agitation.

Laxus could sense everyone's anger starting to rise when Gray barked back, "Maybe because Freed tried to help Laxus over there to try and take over the guild and he hurt a lot of people."

Laxus looked over at the Ice Mage and he could feel himself starting to get angry too. He didn't care that people were still afraid of him; however, what bothered him was that his team was often still lumped into being assholes too. Nothing pissed Laxus off quicker than people insulting his team.

Then Cana said, "Gray that was a long time ago."

"How can you say that Cana?!" Gray yelled, "He hurt you, Juvia, and Elfman the most with his stunts! Now he's fucked my best friend and got her knocked up!?"

"Freed wouldn't sleep with someone without their consent," Evergreen yelled back at the Ice Mage.

Laxus could feel the guild's tension rising and could hear the murmurs start to get louder. Then Erza added, "Gray, we just need to speak with Lucy first. Do not put blame where there is none."

"You guys are all crazy," Gray snorted, "Lucy is probably fucking miserable and now she's roped into parenthood with some guy who probably doesn't give two shits about her."

"DO YOU SEE FREED HERE?" Bickslow yelled in anger.

"NO, BECAUSE HE'S PROBABLY OFF DOING SOMETIHNG ELSE AND NOT WITH LUCY!" Gray yelled back, getting in Bickslow's face.

Evergreen started to take off her glasses and Laxus could feel a fight coming. His Gramps was trying to calm everyone down, but then Laxus said firmly, "Freed is sitting with Lucy right now so she's not alone."

Gray turned toward him and stated darkly, "Oh yeah, that's even better. Take advantage of her when she's feeling vulnerable."

"Gray!" Cana yelled to stop him from going further.

Laxus let out a low growl and said, "You better watch what you say."

"Or what?" Gray asked, "You going to hurt me, Laxus? I'd like to see you fucking try."

Then much to Laxus's surprise, Natsu put his hand on Gray's shoulder and said, "Enough."

Everyone grew quiet and Gray looked at Natsu in confusion. The pink haired man finally spoke up and said, "Freed is nakama. He wouldn't hurt Lucy."

"How the fuck would you know that?" Gray snapped as he shrugged off Natsu's hand.

Natsu just smiled and said, "Because Freed is a good guy."

Gray just rolled his eyes at Natsu simple answer and then Natsu looked at Master Makarov and said, "This spell thing sounds pretty complicated, but if I understand right then Lucy and Freed's baby will be in danger? Plus someone will try to kill Lucy?"

Master Makarov and Porlyusica nodded in unison. Then Natsu smiled at his guild and punched his fist into his other hand and said, "Then let the bastards come. It's a good thing that it happened to Lucy and Freed out of everyone else then."

Everyone blinked in shock and Erza asked, "Why would you say something like that Natsu?"

Natsu continued smiling and said, "Because this kid will have the two strongest teams in Fiore to protect it. Like hell Team Natsu or the Raijinshu would let someone take their new niece or nephew!"

Laxus watched as everyone's faces softened at Natsu's statement and started to nod in agreement. Freed and Lucy were their family and their future kid would be family too, spell or no spell. Fairy Tail wouldn't let any harm come to them and they would all die before they revealed to anyone else the true dangers that their friends were in.

Gray just shook his head in annoyance and Laxus rolled his eyes when he could hear Mira starting to whisper to herself about a green haired, brown eyed baby. Then Natsu turned to his team and said, "We should go check on Luce."

"Aye sir," Happy replied sadly, because the Exceed was worried about one of his favorite people.

Erza nodded in agreement, but was stopped by Bisca who told Erza to tell Lucy that if she needed anything then to let her know, because she had kept all of Asuka's baby things. Laxus watched as Cana tried to stop Gray before he walked out; however, the Ice Mage just shrugged off her advances and followed his team out of the guild. This wasn't going to be good.

Bickslow then asked him, "Do we need to go check on Freed?"

"In a little bit," Laxus replied, "If we follow right now, Gray will probably flip his lid and we don't need Lucy getting hurt because of high tempers."

"But do you think Gray will try to hurt Freed when they get to Lucy's?" Evergreen asked.

"Not with Natsu and Erza there," Laxus grumbled because he was worried for his best friend.

Then Bickslow chuckled and said, "Leave it to Freed to sleep with one of the prettiest girls in Fiore and have no memory of it."

Evergreen laughed too and added, "Even though it's terrible that it happened to them, part of me can't wait to see Freed being a dad. What if the kid is messy? Or hates reading?"

Laxus couldn't help but smile faintly too and Bickslow cracked up and said, "Or shits all over him!"

"He'll die," Evergreen said as she tried to suppress her laughs before she finally said seriously, "Still though, after his childhood—Freed deserved to find someone who truly loved him. Not have his decisions taken away from him."

Bickslow sighed and said, "Well oddly enough Cosplayer had a similar upbringing to Freed. It sucks for both of them."

Laxus supposed each guild mate would react to the news in their own way. Most people were sad that something so heinous was forced onto their friends. But no matter what, they were all in this together.

* * *

Team Natsu walked towards Lucy's apartment in silence before Gray said angrily, "I don't know how you three can be so calm about all this."

Natsu had his hands behind his head, but Erza answered, "We aren't calm about it, but getting angry and picking fights won't do us any good."

Gray just snorted then Natsu added, "We just need to be there for Luce."

"We aren't stupid though," Gray snapped, "We all knew Lucy was a virgin. She was more or less fucking raped if she can't remember actually having sex with him."

"Freed wouldn't have raped her," Natsu said firmly.

Erza nodded in agreement and then said sternly, "When we get there Gray, do not aggravate the situation. You will only make it harder on Lucy."

Gray just growled out, "I'll keep calm unless that prick says something I don't like. But I want to know where the fuck Loke was. Why didn't he stop it?"

"If it was a spell, maybe he didn't know Lucy was in trouble," Happy added in.

Gray wasn't convinced, but the team walked together in silence the rest of the way.

* * *

Natsu wanted to climb in through the window, as usual, however Erza made them all go in to use Lucy's front door. Natsu was pouting, but knocked anyways.

When the door opened, Gray's heart twisted in pain because it was obvious that Lucy had been crying. His eyes darted over towards Freed who was sitting on Lucy's couch. He narrowed his eyes at the Rune Mage who stood up and said, "Lucy, I will leave you alone so that you may speak with your team."

Lucy just nodded as Freed excused himself. Gray couldn't stop scowling at the man and he knew that Freed could feel his eyes on him. Team Natsu remained quiet until Natsu finally looked at Lucy and said warmly, "Hey Luce."

Gray looked down at the ground when tears started to fall from Lucy's eyes as she looked at Natsu pitifully and threw herself into her best friend's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

"We need to start baby proofing the apartment," Erza stated sternly as she opened and closed some of Lucy's cabinet doors.

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were sitting on her couch together, while Gray remained standing and leaning up against the wall. Lucy had told them everything that she knew, including Hisui's job offer, and everything that she and Freed had researched. However, she left out the part where Freed asked to marry her. The team obviously wasn't happy that this was happening to their friend, but they swore to her that they'd always be there for her.

Lucy turned towards her red haired friend and replied, "I think it's a little too early to baby proof everything."

Erza crossed her arms because she wanted them all to be prepared for everything. Then Lucy added, "Besides my apartment is kind of small. I might start looking for a new place and I'll have more money because of that job Princess Hisui offered me which I'll probably end up taking since in a few months I won't be able to go on jobs."

"What about Freed?" Gray asked grimly.

"What about him?" Lucy asked confused.

Natsu shot Gray a warning glance, but Gray replied, "Has he said what he's going to do while you are pregnant and here alone? Or what about after the baby comes? Does he even want it?"

"Gray." Natsu said in a lowered tone, because the Fire Dragon Slayer could smell Lucy's fear and he knew she was teetering on the edge of panic.

Lucy replied quietly, "He said he'd be there and protect us."

Gray still didn't seem to be convinced, but Erza nodded and said, "That's good. He's in the same boat as you and is still probably trying to cope with a huge life decision being made for him. A new home could be nice. We should go look together."

"Thanks for caring guys," Lucy whispered.

Natsu rubbed Lucy's shoulder gently and replied, "Of course we care, you're our best friend and this team is a family and we stick together."

Lucy smiled faintly before she leaned against Natsu and began to cry again while Happy sat on her lap. Gray leaned his head back against the wall because he hated this and Erza determined that the situation called for cake because cake always made everyone feel better.

* * *

It was late in the evening and the team had spent the whole day together so Lucy wouldn't feel alone. They offered to stay the night, but Lucy reassured them that she'd be fine.

After Lucy went to take a bath, the rest of Team Natsu began to take their leave. However Gray stopped them and asked, "How can you guys be so optimistic about all this? Natsu, how in the fuck are you not freaking out and screaming like you usually are? You're being uncharacteristically mature."

"What'd you say Ice Princess!?" Natsu yelled.

"There he is," Happy snickered.

Erza however silenced all of them with a glare and motioned for them to go outside so Lucy wouldn't hear. The team went outside and the moment they were free, Natsu lunged at Gray because he was ready for a fight.

"Stop it!" Erza hissed as she smacked both of them and stood in-between them. Happy looked concerned by the commotion when Erza snapped at Gray, "We are trying to stay optimistic for Lucy's sake. It won't do her any good if we stress her out, it could hurt her and the baby."

"That baby shouldn't exist," Gray growled as he slapped away Erza's hand.

"You heard Master and Porlyusica though, Lucy can't get an abortion or it could happen again," Erza stated.

"If we keep her away from Dark Mages then she'll be safe!" Gray argued.

"We can't be glued to her constantly. Besides you heard what Lucy said about Laxus, he was keeping an eye on them and he has a gap in his memory too," Erza rebutted.

Then Gray turned to Natsu and spat out, "Here you go again, being unusually quiet."

Natsu looked at his friends and said sadly, "Lucy could die."

Happy looked down at the ground and Gray finally calmed down a little when Natsu continued, "Gramps and Porlyusica said people would try to kill her. I don't want to lose her. Plus...what if Lucy dies during childbirth or what if something happens to her."

"Natsu," Erza whispered because Natsu hid his face so they wouldn't see him cry.

"Happy and I watched her die before and I can't handle that again. She's like my sister and in reality it could be worse. It could have been a stranger that did this to her, but it's not. It's Freed and he'll help. None of this is what anyone wanted but I can smell her fear and I feel so helpless, so me freaking out won't help," Natsu claimed, "What I can do is make sure that she and her baby will be safe. I can fight for them and defend them. That's what I'm good at and that's what I'll do."

Erza and Happy nodded in agreement before they said they'd all meet back up tomorrow. Maybe them all going on a team mission together would help Lucy take her mind off of things. However Gray remained outside Lucy's apartment. He just couldn't bring himself to leave. Once Natsu, Happy, and Erza disappeared Gray went back inside to check on Lucy.

He gently opened the door and walked over to the bathroom door. He could hear Lucy crying in her bathtub and he felt so helpless. He gently knocked on the door and heard that she immediately stopped crying before he said, "Lucy, I'm staying over whether you like it or not. You're my friend and I don't want you to be alone."

There was a pregnant pause before Lucy sniffled out, "Thanks Gray."

Gray just sighed in relief before he asked, "Do you want any tea or anything for when you get done? Take your time though."

"Some herbal tea sounds nice. Do you know where it is?" Lucy asked.

Gray snorted and teased, "How long have we been friends for and you think I don't know where you keep things?"

There was a brief pause before Lucy said in a lighter tone, "My mistake, I forgot I was on a team with a bunch of home invaders and stalkers."

Gray couldn't help but smile at Lucy's joke before he went to go make her some tea. That's what Lucy should be like, happy and carefree. Not doomed to carry some all-powerful baby with a man who didn't love her.

What Natsu had said hit Gray hard. He hadn't thought about all the aspects of how this was dangerous for Lucy on multiple different levels. Even though giving birth was a lot easier now, it didn't mean that there couldn't still be problems. Plus if this baby was going to be super powerful, how would that baby affect Lucy while it was in her womb? Plus what would she do if she lived alone and went into labor or needed to go to the hospital? He was distressed by all of it.

* * *

Lucy finally came out of the bathroom and Gray couldn't help but smile at Lucy with her large hot pink fuzzy bathrobe on. She smiled back at him before she said sadly, "You really didn't need to come back."

Gray handed her the cup of tea he had made before he replied, "Yes I did. I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

Lucy's big sad brown eyes looked at him before he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Then she asked, "How's Cana doing?"

Gray shrugged his shoulders and let go of Lucy a little before he replied, "Fine I guess."

She gave him a quizzical look before she blew on her tea and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Gray replied in a serious tone, "I'd rather talk about us moving in together."

"Eh?" Lucy eeped.

* * *

Freed made his way to his house so that he could do more research while Lucy visited with her team. He had expected more of an uproar from them, especially Natsu and Erza but they all seemed relatively calm.

Freed lived right outside of Magnolia, just like Laxus. After being stuck in a mansion most of his life, he enjoyed the peaceful tranquility of the forest. He had renovated a large cottage for himself to make it more modern, but added in antique charm. He and Evergreen had planted rose bushes and a small garden together. It was his oasis.

Then just as he reached his house, he looked up to see his team waiting for him. He didn't even need to say anything when Evergreen threw herself at him and wailed, "Oh Freed, I'm so sorry!"

Bickslow nodded and said, "It sucks so much I won't even be perverted about it."

"Thank you," Freed replied as he removed himself from Evergreen's grasp.

Laxus looked at his friend and said, "We can talk inside if you want since I'm sure you just saw Team Natsu."

Freed nodded his head in agreement before he went inside with his friends.

* * *

After Freed had explained everything to Evergreen and Bickslow, Evergreen spoke up first and said, "Freed, for what it's worth I hate that this happened to you. I know everyone will feel pity for Lucy since she is the one who will carry the baby, but you were wronged too."

"Thank you Ever," Freed replied in a quiet voice.

"How'd Team Mass Destruction take it?" Bickslow asked.

"Better than what you guys described from what happened at the guild," Freed admitted.

Laxus remained quiet, but Evergreen was too worked up when she asked, "So what will you do with Lucy? Like move in together or what?"

After a moment of silence, Freed admitted, "I asked her to marry me."

Bickslow spit out the soda he had been drinking all over the table and Laxus before he started choking. Laxus sat there with an annoyed expression as soda dripped off of his face, but Evergreen shot up and slammed her hands on the table and asked, "WHAT DID SHE SAY?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! DO I NEED TO HELP PLAN ANYTHING?"

Freed had gotten Laxus a kitchen towel to dry off with before Freed replied, "I asked her because of how I was raised; however, she turned the offer down so no—you don't need to plan anything."

Evergreen felt terrible for her friend as she took her seat again. Freed was probably the man she looked up to the most. Sure she loved Laxus and Bickslow, but Freed truly felt like her brother in many ways. He deserved the best than this.

Then to everyone's surprise Laxus finally spoke up and stated, "You'll make a good Dad."

Bickslow agreed, "None of us had ideal father figures and Freed you seemed to have come out the sanest even though yours was the worst. You won't be like him."

Then Evergreen said, "We will be here for you. We will help you change diapers, feed him or her, or babysit. We'll do whatever you need help with Freed, so know that you're not alone and don't be your usual stubborn self. Ask us for help for once."

Freed looked at his team and smiled faintly before he replied, "Very well, but there is something that has been troubling me."

Laxus looked at Freed before the Rune Mage asked, "What if this spell was my Father's doing?"

Laxus took a deep breath before he replied, "Sounds like something the sick bastard would do."

"But why would he? I mean he didn't want you to produce just an heir. They had to be with someone he picked someone with," then Evergreen's voice faded in realization.

"Someone who was raised in high society, like Cosplayer," Bickslow grumbled.

"Why do you suspect him?" Laxus asked Freed.

"I have nothing concrete; however, I investigated him as you know after we returned from Tenroujima. A few months ago before this started I received word from one of the former servants that he is dying," Freed admitted, "Also, Lucy was requested to go to the ball by the Princess herself and my father has spies everywhere. If he knew of Lucy's existence and knew that a Heartfilia was still alive then I could see him hiring someone to perform the spell because he's desperate to see me produce an heir before he dies."

Everyone was quiet for several minutes before Bickslow said, "Dude, that's fucked up. How would he know about Lucy's magic though? Or that she was a virgin for fuck's sake."

"My Father knew Lucy's parents well. He would know that Lucy would have inherited her mother's magic," Feed admitted in a serious tone, "As for her virginity I do not know."

"Does Lucy know your Dad?" Evergreen asked, "What would he gain from this heir though? He'll be dead before he or she grows up! Plus he probably wouldn't even want a girl, so what if it is a girl?!"

"If Lucy does know him, then she's never mentioned it to me. I don't know what he'd gain from it. It's my biggest question right now if it is him, because he knows I wouldn't raise my child like that or let him anywhere near Lucy or the baby," Freed replied.

"I'll tell Gramps. I know that this is just a hunch, but your hunches are usually right. It's something we should investigate," Laxus stated.

"While I agree with Laxus," Evergreen spoke up, "We should only tell Master and not Lucy."

"Why?" Freed asked because he didn't want to keep secrets from her.

"You said he has spies everywhere. For all we know, they are already here. If we tell Lucy it might cause her and the baby unnecessary stress," Evergreen replied.

"Plus, her team is filled with loud mouths," Bickslow huffed.

"Plus, Master said people would come for her. If it is your Father that will send his minions for her, then one of our best bets is acting ignorant. That way we catch them off guard," Evergreen added.

"Knowing you though, you've probably already put up runes around her place?" Laxus asked.

Freed nodded before Laxus added, "Then we will just tell Gramps and if he advises we tell Lucy, then we'll tell her. Otherwise nobody else knows but us."

* * *

The close team also spent the day together and when Evergreen finally got Freed alone she asked him, "Was because how you were raised the only reason why you asked Lucy to marry you?"

Freed didn't look at her when he answered, "If it is my Father that did this, then it's my responsibility to protect her and provide for her."

"Goddamn Freed, you make women sound so helpless," Evergreen sighed.

"That wasn't my intention," Freed admitted.

"So you don't have feelings for her?" Evergreen asked.

"I never really thought about it. She's obviously very beautiful, kind, and warm. Plus she is extremely well read," Freed stated in a tone that made Evergreen roll her eyes.

However the Rune Mage furrowed his brows together as he thought about all the times he and Lucy secretly met up to research together. A clear image appeared in his mind as he reminisced about one afternoon in the guild's library. It had been a particularly cloudy day and he remembered looking up just as a ray of sunshine illuminated Lucy's face. She looked heavenly with a faint smile on her face as she read from a spell book. For the first time in a very long time, Freed thought about love and what it meant to love someone.

"Leave it to you to point out that someone is well read," Evergreen snorted.

"It is a rare and good trait to have nowadays," Freed admitted as he snapped his thoughts back into the present.

"But you could see yourself liking her?" Evergreen asked in a hopeful voice.

Freed stopped what he was doing for a moment and thought seriously about the question before he replied in a quiet voice, "Perhaps I already do."


	8. Chapter 8

"Eh?" Lucy asked again in confusion as Gray moved closer towards her.

"Lucy," Gray sighed out as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Do you really think I'm ok with the idea of you living alone and being pregnant? What if something happens to you or to the baby and you are here all alone?"

Lucy was trying to stay calm; however, as she listened to Gray list off everything that could go wrong, her chest tightened and suddenly it felt like she couldn't breathe. Maybe Erza was right, maybe she did need to start baby proofing her apartment? But what if Natsu burned her apartment down with the baby inside? How would she get to the hospital if her team was on a mission and Loke was on one of his dates? What if she never went on a date ever again because she would be a single mother? Would Capricorn push her harder to work out more after she had the baby and had stretch marks?

Gray had no idea what was happening in Lucy's head, but he stopped talking when he saw her eyes widen and tears started pouring out of them. It looked like she was having a hundred different things running through her head and then he nearly panicked when she started gasping for air with short panicked breaths.

"Woah, Lucy!" Gray cried out as he stepped towards her, "It's ok, everything will be ok."

"No! No, it won't!" Lucy cried back as she took a step back from Gray, "I'm pregnant with a baby that everybody will try to kill me for! I wasn't ready for any of this! I don't even remember having sex! Everything was supposed to be special! Women should get the choice if they want to have a baby or not!"

Gray made a soothing shushing noise as he stepped towards his friend again. Lucy tried to shrug him away, but Gray wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered, "It will be ok. You are safe and I won't let anything happen to you."

Lucy wanted to argue, but she felt so overwhelmed. Instead she melted into Gray's embrace and let out all of her fears. Every tear, every incoherent statement, and every worry. She let it all out.

Gray stood there and held Lucy as she cried, but he couldn't help but clench his jaw in anger about it all. Lucy didn't deserve this. She was the sweetest person he had ever met and she deserved nothing but happiness. Listening to her be so scared and uncertain about the future pissed him off. He could take her away if that is what she wanted. He would protect her from other dark mages—even if Erza and Natsu both that that was a bad idea.

* * *

It was over thirty minutes before Lucy finally calmed down and began to wipe away her tears. She felt exhausted and she knew that it was late, but this uneasy feeling she had just wouldn't go away.

Her thoughts were broken when Gray asked, "Do you want me to reheat your tea for you?"

Lucy blinked for a moment before she replied, "No, I'll be ok. You should probably go be with Cana. I'll be fine. I just want to sleep."

Lucy watched as Gray's posture got stiff before the Ice Mage replied, "I said I'd stay here, besides you didn't really say anything back about my statement."

"First of all, I will be fine. I think I just needed a good cry," Lucy said with a weak and not very convincing smile, "Second of all, I don't know what statement you are talking about."

Gray sighed heavily before he leaned back onto Lucy's kitchen counter. He crossed his arms and looked at her with his blue eyes before he replied, "About us moving in together."

The statement Gray had made earlier came rushing back into Lucy's memories. She snorted and stated in an amused tone, "Gray that wouldn't even work. Besides you have Cana and if you are over here all the time then that means Erza, Natsu, and Happy will want to be here all the time. Our lives would be chaos!"

"Cana and I aren't a couple," Gray said coldly, "Plus, I'd make sure to kick Natsu out if he was here too long."

"What do you mean you guys aren't a couple?" Lucy asked with a roll of her eyes, "You guys bang all the time."

"It's just sex with a friend," Gray defended himself, "I mean you don't like Freed just because you had sex with him."

Lucy felt a cold chill run through her body before she snapped in a lowered tone, "Freed and I were under a spell. You can't compare us to you and Cana."

Tears began to well up in Lucy's eyes again before Gray realized that he may have crossed a line tonight. "Hey Lucy, I'm sorry," Gray whispered as he took a step towards her again.

Lucy shook her head no as a few tears fell from her face before she replied, "I think it'd be best if you go home for the night Gray."

Gray sighed before he pleaded, "Lucy, don't do this. I can't just sit by while I know you need help. Besides the child will need a Father-figure and if you think Freed is going to be around or provide for you then you are delusional."

A nauseated feeling hit the pit of Lucy's stomach before she whispered, "Please leave, now."

Gray knew that he had lost his chance at trying to show Lucy what he meant that night. However, he wasn't going to give up. He would give her the space she needed tonight, but he knew that he was right and when Freed wouldn't be there to pick up the pieces after Lucy has this demon-baby—then he would.

"Ok Lucy," Gray said in a gentler tone, "I'll see you tomorrow at the guild."

Lucy didn't even nod when the Ice-Mage left her small apartment. Her mind started whirling again. What the hell had Gray been thinking? Why would he say that about Cana? Was what he said about Freed true?

As Lucy thought about Freed, his stoic face popped into her mind. A lot of guys would just run away if they found out they knocked up some girl they had no feelings for, but somewhere inside of Lucy she knew that Freed wasn't like that. He had even asked her to marry him. God…what would he have done if she would have said yes? What would her team had done if she had said yes?

Lucy just sighed and began to wonder how everything would play out. She had no idea how to be a mom and she really didn't want to be alone. It was the one thing Gray had been somewhat right about. Freed and her hadn't talked about living arrangements or anything.

All of a sudden, her apartment felt too small. Lucy sighed again as she went to change into some warmer clothes. Then after she put on a stocking cap and her running shoes, she looked at the clock. It was nearing 10 p.m. but she needed to go on a walk at least. The cool night air of fall would help clear her head—even just for a bit.

* * *

Lucy felt relief as she gazed up at the stars and let her feet take her wherever they wanted to go. She wasn't walking anywhere in particular and she knew she was safe in a small place like Magnolia. Everyone seemed to know her and they obviously knew Fairy Tail, but tonight not a single soul seemed to be out.

The blonde had lost awareness of her surroundings as she focused on one bright star in particular. The rest of the night sky seemed dull in comparison compared to this one and Lucy's mind vaguely registered that the cobbled stone streets of Magnolia had disappeared into the crunchy grass of fall.

When the sky was like this, it always made Lucy miss her mother more. She remembered cold, lonely nights after her mother had passed away when she couldn't sleep. The stars always seemed to shine the brightest on those nights—as though letting her know that everything would be ok.

Finally Lucy stopped and whispered up to that single star, "Mamma, I don't think I can do this. I don't know how to do this."

However, there was no response as the world remained quiet while tears ran down Lucy's face.

After Lucy took a deep breath in, she heard a familiar voice ask, "Lucy, is that you?"

Lucy looked over and saw Evergreen standing in a very green garden, despite the fact that it was late fall and closer to winter. Lucy blinked in surprise before she replied, "I was just on a walk. Is this your house?"

Evergreen quickly left the garden area and out a small gate. Lucy looked at the well-kept cottage and its large windows. It was charming and homey. It reminded her of house she once read about in an old book that belonged to her mother.

Finally Evergreen answered, "No this isn't my house, it's Freed's place. We were just hanging out with him because…well you know."

Lucy and Evergreen's eyes met and Lucy saw concern and compassion in Evergreen's eyes. Warmth wasn't something most people would associate the Fairy Mage with, but something in Evergreen's dark brown eyes behind her glasses made Lucy smile back faintly.

"You should probably come inside," Evergreen offered in a gentle tone, "It's fairly cold out here and Freed was about to make everyone some tea."

"I don't want to be a bother," Lucy replied quickly—realizing that she had no idea how she had even found Freed's place to begin with. Plus, she didn't really want to listen to Bickslow joke about what had happened.

Then as though Evergreen knew what Lucy was thinking, the Fairy Mage stated, "Lucy, our team wants to help you and Freed in any way that we can. We won't talk about what happened between you two tonight, but you look like you shouldn't be alone and if Freed knew you were out here then he would want you to come in too."

Lucy wasn't sure what Evergreen meant by that last statement, but nodded her head in understanding. Her eyes probably still had obvious signs of crying almost all day. Her cheeks still hurt from it and in all honestly, even though she told Gray she wanted to be alone—she really didn't.

Evergreen's smile widened when Lucy started walking towards her. Then Lucy asked, "Are you sure this will be ok?"

"Absolutely," Evergreen nodded before she wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy was taken aback by the affectionate gesture but Evergreen just patted Lucy's shoulder gently. It was very mother hen-like, or Mira-like. Yet the innocent gesture spread warmth throughout Lucy's body and her nerves slowly began to vanish.

When Evergreen opened the door, Lucy took a deep inhale before Evergreen called out to the guys, "Hey Freed, can you come here a second?"

Lucy thought her body was about to start shaking. Why had she come here? Was it too late to bolt? Lucy looked up when Freed came around the corner from his kitchen and his blue eyes widened when he saw her. She felt Evergreen gently squeeze her shoulder before the Fairy Mage said, "I'll leave you two alone for a minute."

After Evergreen left the room, Lucy looked down and said, "Sorry, I don't know why I'm here."

"I'm glad you are," Freed blurted out rather quickly.

"Y-you are?" Lucy asked in confusion.

Lucy looked over at Freed who was still looking at her in shock before he replied, "Yes, I've been worried about you since your team arrived at your place earlier."

Lucy nodded in understanding, "Yeah, they normally aren't so rational about things."

"So it went ok?" Freed asked in concern, but not wanting to pry too much.

Lucy just shrugged her shoulders as she thought about everything Gray had said about Freed before she replied, "I guess."

Freed could tell that there was something bothering Lucy, but he supposed she would talk about it if she wanted to. Then the Rune Mage asked, "Could I take your coat?"

Lucy realized she was still bundled up from her walk before she replied, "I don't want to intrude."

"You aren't," Freed replied in a gentle tone, "Please stay."

Lucy had no idea why Freed's words, even his very presence, made her feel at ease. Then before the two could say anything more to each other, they heard Bickslow yell from the kitchen, "HEY! DO YOU GUYS NEED ANYTHING FROM THE CHINESE PLACE? LAXUS IS GOING TO PICK UP SOME TAKE-OUT!"

Lucy let out a small giggle when she heard Evergreen yell, "Leave them alone! Besides it's almost 11 and they close at 11!"

"Duh! That's why Laxus is going because he can get there quicker!" Bickslow defended himself.

" _Quicker! Quicker!"_  Bickslow's babies mimicked.

"Just get one of everything!" Lucy heard Bickslow state before she heard a loud boom from Laxus leaving.

Freed and Lucy looked at each other again before Freed asked with a slight smile, "Well Lucy, would you like to stay and eat Chinese at an unreasonable hour?"

Lucy smiled back warmly before she replied, "That sounds nice."


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh man, did you grab any sweet and sour chicken?!" Bickslow asked excitedly as he dug through all the bags that Laxus had just sat down on Freed's kitchen table.

"Yeah," Laxus grumbled as he grabbed some beef lo mein for himself.

Lucy just stood back and watched the interaction of one of the strongest teams in Fiore. She couldn't help but smile when Evergreen smacked Bickslow's hand away from some sweet and sour pork and then watched as Laxus handed Freed a container of moo goo gai pan.

Laxus then motioned for Bickslow and Ever to follow him into the living room so that the team could pick out a movie while Freed and Lucy had a few minutes to themselves. Once Lucy was certain that the rest of the Raijinshu was distracted, she cleared her throat and said, "I really am sorry for intruding. I actually had no idea where you lived."

Freed gave her a faint smile before he replied, "Lucy, it really is no problem. The truth is, I am really glad you are here. I know that this is awkward and our teams don't know really how to help, but I was worried about your team more so than mine."

Lucy looked towards Freed's living room where she could hear Bickslow and Evergreen arguing about which movie to watch. They were acting normal and calm. Her team was already ready to baby proof everything and Gray was trying to get her to move in with him. Freed's team wasn't acting anything like that. Why were they all so calm?

"It appears that Laxus did get one of everything," Freed said as he broke Lucy's concentration.

She watched as the Rune Mage looked through the takeout bags before he asked, "What sounds good to you? I apologize for the unhealthy eating. None of us can cook and we all lost track of time today."

Lucy nodded her head in understanding. Now that Freed mentioned it, she wasn't sure she had really eaten much. "Just whatever," Lucy replied in a quiet voice. She felt so nervous and afraid.

Freed could tell that Lucy was struggling with everything—which was normal. He took a deep breath and asked her, "Which do you like more; chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, or vegetable?"

"Shrimp sounds good," Lucy replied a little bolder. She knew that Freed was trying really hard to help her feel comfortable.

"Spicy or no?" Freed asked.

"Spicy," Lucy replied with a faint smile.

Freed nodded his head before he handed Lucy a container of what looked like Spicy fried rice before he replied, "I am not one for super spicy meals, but Laxus and Bickslow both love that dish."

Lucy took a pair of the chopsticks then plopped a piece of shrimp in her mouth. Her eyes lit up at the heat that enveloped her mouth before she covered her mouth with her hand and stated, "It's delicious."

Freed smiled faintly back before he asked, "Would you like a beverage?"

"Sure," Lucy replied nervously again, "Just whatever is fine and I can help pay for the food."

"That won't be necessary," Freed replied, "It was Laxus's turn to order out and they usually always order this much food anyways."

Lucy wasn't sure if Freed was just saying that to be nice or not, but she was starting to feel like a big burden. The food almost went bland in her mouth as her anxiety started to spike again.

"Hey Lucy," Freed whispered as he stood next to her, "Do you need to talk about anything? I promise that we are all here for you."

Lucy had to set the food container down, but she could still hear the rest of Freed's team in the other room. She was afraid that if she spoke then she would start crying again, but she had to know, "H-how is your team s-so calm?"

Freed took a deep breath, he could tell his team got quieter because they were wanting to eavesdrop but he ignored them and focused on Lucy before he replied, "They know both of us."

Lucy looked at Freed in confusion before he continued, "What I mean is, they know that what happened between us was neither of our faults. While we could be mad as hell, what good would that do?"

Lucy felt a few tears start to fall out of her eyes because Freed's last words hit her like a ton of bricks. What good would being mad do? Of course what happened to her was unfair. Every person who really knew her knew that it was a terrible violation, but what good would just being angry at the world do? Yet she wanted to be angry.

Then Freed added, "Their focus now is protecting us and finding who did this to us."

"So you do think someone did it?" Lucy asked as she wiped away her tears, "You don't think it was just a dark spell that randomly got activated?"

"I believe someone did this to us, yes," Freed replied quietly—unsure as to how much he should tell Lucy. He did not want to reveal his suspicions about his Father yet. However, before she could ask more he replied, "That is what my team and I plan on finding out."

Lucy just nodded and supposed it didn't matter at the moment. She felt completely overwhelmed by everything. She didn't know how to be a mom or really anything about babies. Then she thought about Erza, Natsu, and Happy and how they said they would be there for her and she knew that they would. But Gray…she didn't' know what to think about him.

Finally Freed handed her an iced chamomile tea and said, "This will help with the anxiety. Would you like to join us for a movie now?"

Lucy smiled faintly at the Rune Mage who was now apparently stuck in her life before she replied, "Sure."

* * *

It was nearing 3 a.m. when one of the movies finally ended. Lucy looked over at a snoring Bickslow on Freed's couch. Evergreen was sitting next to Lucy on one of Freed's love seats and the Fairy Mage was snoring lightly as well. Laxus and Freed were both in arm chairs across from the blonde mage. Laxus had his ear phones on and was relaxed back into the recliner with his eyes closed. However, Freed and Lucy were still both wide awake.

The blonde looked at the Rune Mage who smiled at her faintly. Their friends couldn't understand what was going through their minds. How could anyone understand? Finally Lucy stood up and whispered, "I should probably go."

Freed shot up and replied, "It's so late though and very cold out."

Lucy looked down at Freed's floor and stated, "But I don't think I would sleep anyways. The cold won't bother me so much."

The Rune Mage took a deep breath before he added, "Well, if I can't change your mind then please allow me to walk you home."

"I don't want to inconvenience you," Lucy whispered as she looked around at Freed's team.

"You could never be an inconvenience, Lucy," Freed whispered back.

Lucy felt her face heat up at the words. She wasn't sure if Freed meant for it to sound the way it did, but when she looked into his beautiful blue eyes—all she could see was sincerity. She liked to think that she had a pretty good bullshit radar on most people, but Freed really seemed to care. Lucy smiled at Freed faintly and just nodded her head that it was ok.

The two put their coats on and left the warmth of Freed's home. Lucy could see her breath as they stepped out onto Freed's porch. His home really was beautiful and she wished that she could have seen more of it but she didn't feel like she knew Freed all that well yet to ask for such a thing. Even though they were having a child together, they weren't a couple and they still had their own lives. She didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were.

The faint glow of Magnolia was ahead of them when Freed asked, "So are you planning on going to the guild tomorrow?"

Lucy nodded her head in response before she replied, "Yeah, Natsu and Erza talked about searching out a new house for me or maybe we will just take a job so that I can get away for a bit."

Freed stopped walking and Lucy turned to look at him before he asked, "You want to take a job?"

"Yes…" Lucy replied slowly because she wasn't sure what was up with Freed all of a sudden.

Freed looked troubled before he replied, "I don't think that's wise."

"I have to live my life though, Freed," Lucy stated in a raised voice even though she didn't want to fight.

"I understand that," Freed corrected himself and his tone quickly, "What I am worried about though is what Porlyusica said about Dark Mages."

Lucy looked at Freed in confusion before the Rune Mage replied, "We don't know why this happened to us, but I don't think it's wise to go off away from the guild—especially if you were to go into another trance. Remember, Laxus was keeping an eye on us and it was like we were wiped from his mind!"

"But I'm already pregnant," Lucy argued, "It's not like I could get pregnant again."

"But we don't know how it happened," Freed stated firmly, "For all we know someone wanted you to end up like this and what if they have other spells and kidnap you or worse?!"

"But I can't live my life questioning everything now or worried that someone dark and terrible is around every corner! How dare you try and tell me how to live my life! You aren't carrying around this monster! I didn't ask for this and I don't want it!" Lucy snapped at Freed as she pointed at her stomach.

Lucy saw the hurt in Freed's eyes and immediately regretted what she had said. Logically she knew it wasn't his fault, he didn't ask for this either.

However, before Lucy could apologize for snapping, Freed pleaded, "Please, let us talk to Master first. I did not ask for a baby either and the baby is not my concern right now—you are. No matter what, you are my guild mate and I feel honor bound to protect you, baby or no baby."

Somehow Freed's words just made Lucy angrier. She thought that they were getting closer before because he said he didn't see her as just a guild mate—yet this is the reason why he doesn't want her going off on missions with her team.

"Lucy," Freed said quietly, "If something were to happen to you—I'd never forgive myself."

Lucy didn't want to talk anymore when she replied, "Fine, I will wait and speak with Master with you; however, if you think Erza and Natsu will agree that I shouldn't go on missions then you will be very wrong."

Freed didn't argue with her and the two walked the rest of the way to Lucy's apartment in silence.

* * *

When they finally reached Lucy's apartment, Lucy had finally calmed down a little. This whole thing was just one big complicated mess and she felt terrible for what she had said to Freed.

"I will see you tomorrow," Freed said as he broke her concentration.

"Freed wait…"Lucy replied as she reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his coat. She couldn't feel the fabric of his coat through her gloves but it seemed to be soft yet strong—like Freed himself.

"I'm really sorry about what I said earlier," Lucy whispered, "I just don't know how to deal with any of this and I just feel so mad right now. I know you didn't ask for it either, but we aren't a couple."

Freed looked confused as Lucy continued, "I feel like I can't ask or won't be able to ask for certain things because we didn't choose this fate together like couples do or even one night stand risks do. It feels like rape on both our ends but at the same time it isn't. God, me explaining it doesn't even make any sense."

Freed's face filled with empathy when he replied, "I understand what you are trying to say."

"You do?" Lucy asked as she met his gaze.

Freed nodded before he replied, "As you know, I wasn't ready to be a Father. I also don't have one night stands for the very reason you just described, but also because I'm not really the one night stand kind of guy. That's more Laxus's and Bickslow's area of expertise."

Lucy couldn't help but let out a faint chuckle at Freed's honesty before the Rune Mage continued, "You don't need to worry about me suddenly finding someone or worry about asking me for help. I am very well off financially and I would never see you as a burden."

Even though Freed was trying to be kind, something still just didn't sit right with Lucy. She didn't know if it was the time of night, which was basically morning, or if she was just still trying to cope with everything.

Then as though Freed knew what she needed to hear, Freed stated, "I will always be there for you, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy let a faint smile spread across her face before she replied, "Thanks Freed. I'll be there for you too and will see you in the morning."

Freed just nodded his head politely before the two went their separate ways.

* * *

Lucy awoke to a banging on her apartment door and the voce of a concerned Erza yelling, "LUCY ARE YOU OK?"

"I CAN BREAK THE DOOR DOWN!" Natsu yelled in an attempt to help.

Lucy was trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she sleepily replied, "I'm fine! Just a second!"

Her eyes were still out of focus when she stumbled towards her front door and unlocked it for her loud team before they destroyed her apartment building.

"Morning Lucy!" Happy greeted her once Lucy opened the door.

"Morning guys," the blonde replied with a yawn.

Erza looked at her friend with concern and said, "Lucy, it is almost 1 p.m."

"Eh?" Lucy eeped in shock.

"Yeah we were waiting for you at the guild," Happy stated.

"Sorry guys, I was up late last night," Lucy yawned again.

Erza nodded in understanding and not needing an explanation; however, Natsu asked, "Do you have any food?"

Lucy just shook her head and replied, "Let me get ready then we can go to the guild."

Lucy rushed her usual morning routine since Natsu was whining about being hungry and Erza wouldn't let Natsu eat any of Lucy's food. The scarlet haired mage made it very clear that they could not burden Lucy any more than she already was.

* * *

As the four made their way to the guild, Lucy saw the large doors and froze.

"What's wrong, Luce?" Natsu asked.

"I haven't been back since everyone found out," Lucy whispered.

Natsu and Erza looked at each other before Erza stated, "Nobody will ask anything inappropriate and if they do, I will kick their ass."

"Aye Sir!" Happy chanted to get Lucy pumped up.

Natsu flung his arm around Lucy's shoulder and added, "Everything will be ok, Luce."

Lucy smiled faintly at her friends and together they walked into the guild; however, Lucy's heart froze when she heard Gray yell at Freed, "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE LUCY!"

"Natsu," Erza spoke his name like a command as the woman equipped a sword.

Lucy's eyes widened in fear when she saw Gray charging towards Freed who was just standing there, not even trying to defend himself.

Happy floated in front of Lucy as though to protect her from the utter mayhem that erupted in the guild; however, Lucy charged around Happy in an attempt to get in-between Freed and Gray. She didn't know what was happening but she didn't want either to get hurt.

Everyone in the guild stood still, except for Gray who yelled, "Ice-Make Cage!"

"Gray, stop this now!" Master Makarov ordered.

Natsu and Erza were on top of Gray before Laxus could blast the hell out of him; however, just as the cage formed over Freed—Lucy threw herself at him and knocked him out of the way and the blonde let out a blood curdling scream as the ice cage came crashing down and snapped her leg in half.

"LUCY!" Natsu and Freed both screamed just before Natsu picked Gray up and yelled, "UNDO IT, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

However, Mira and Laxus already blasted away the ice cage as Wendy ran over to start healing Lucy's leg. But none of them were as fast as Freed; both of his eyes began to glow as he lunged towards Gray and sent him flying backwards with magic. Everyone's hairs stood on end when Freed spoke in a dark and threatening tone, "How dare you harm what is mine."


	10. Chapter 10

"FREED!" Master Makarov shouted.

Freed's eyes continued to glow purple as he stared down at Gray. The dark magical aura that he was giving off was engulfing the entire guild. Nobody dared moved until Laxus stepped in-between the Rune and Ice-Make Mage and said in a commanding tone, "Freed, back off. Lucy needs you."

Laxus didn't know who stood before him, but it wasn't his best friend. The Dragon Slayer could smell the fear coming off of everyone, even his Gramps, at the sight of Freed. That is…everyone except for Lucy and Wendy.

"Freed," Laxus pleaded one more time before he knew he might have to fight the man in front of him.

Freed's whole body convulsed before his eyes turned back to their cool blue. The green haired man looked at his best friend and said, "Laxus, I didn't know…"

"It doesn't matter right now," Laxus said in a kinder and very relieved tone, "Just help Lucy."

Freed nodded his head and turned to help Wendy with Lucy.

Gray remained on the ground as everyone in the guild began to murmur as Freed knelt beside Lucy. Wendy ignored everyone and said, "Lucy, I need you to bite down onto something because it will hurt when my magic pops your bone back into place."

Kinana threw Mira a clean towel from the bar as the white haired woman knelt next to Freed and told Lucy, "Bite down on this."

Freed could feel all of the guild's eyes on him just as Lucy whispered, "It wasn't your fault."

The blonde then bit down on the towel and Freed couldn't find it in him to respond. He was appalled by himself—but this time…he remembered what he had turned into.

However, the Rune Mage heard the bone snap back into place and Lucy screamed through the towel as Mira held her shoulders down so that she wouldn't move. Tears were falling down the side of Lucy's face as she remained on the ground and she heard Wendy ask Freed to carry Lucy up to the infirmary. She had no idea what had made Gray act that way toward Freed and she didn't really care. When she saw Freed standing there ready to take whatever Gray was going to throw at him, she couldn't help but intervene. She was bound to him now in some weird way and as he carried her up to the infirmary, she closed her eyes and let his smell engulf her because she felt safe.

The guild remained quiet until they knew that Lucy and Freed were in the infirmary. The moment the door closed, Natsu turned towards Gray with his fists on fire and screamed, "YOU HURT LUCE!"

Erza lunged between the two and yelled, "NATSU STOP! WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!"

"Oh, you want to know how Gray immediately went to pick a fight with Freed from the moment he walked into the guild?!" Bicklsow spat out.

Gray scoffed before he snapped back, "And what about the freak show that we just witnessed from Freed? Everyone, including yourself Bickslow, was scared shitless!"

"Enough!" Master Makarov yelled as he walked up to Gray and added, "Inside my office, now. Team Natsu, Laxus, and the Raijinshu—you too."

The rest of the guild grew quiet except Laxus noticed that Levy and Wendy left before Wendy murmured to Levy that they needed to retrieve Porlyusica. Either way, Laxus was shaken to his core. He had never seen both of Freed's eyes light up because of his magic—it was usually just the one. Plus the sheer amount of magical power that Freed had given off blew his mind. He always knew that Freed held back, but he just didn't realize how much. But then he wasn't even sure if that was his friend or a result of this spell. Laxus knew that he had to get to the bottom of this and fast, especially if their fathers were behind it.

When they finally reached his Gramps's office, the old man said, "Everyone have a seat. I am not in the mood for arguments or anything after what just happened. Everyone will remain quiet and only the person I am speaking with is allowed to talk."

Laxus felt a shudder go down his spine, because there were few times he could remember his Gramps getting super serious and this was one of them. It reminded him of when he got expelled from the guild.

"Gray," Master Makarov stated in a dark voice, "Explain yourself, now."

It felt like a hundred years before Gray finally said, "I don't believe that Freed is innocent with what happened to Lucy."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" Bickslow shouted.

"Bickslow," Master intervened sternly, "Let Gray speak."

Laxus nodded towards Bickslow to hold off for now. The Ice Mage took his time again before he added, "Spell or no spell, I just don't think he's innocent."

Laxus could tell that Bickslow wanted to punch Gray in his pretty face before his Gramps stated, "It doesn't matter what you think, Gray. Facts are facts."

Everyone looked at Master Makarov in shock by his sudden dismal of Gray's feelings before the elderly man continued, "I know Lucy and I know Freed. I know that neither of them would ever wish what happened to them upon the other."

"But look at what he did when Laxus tried to take over the guild!" Gray argued.

"Silence!" Master Makarov shouted, "If you use that logic then Gajeel wouldn't be in the guild or Juvia. Everyone has trials that they have to go through and they are all different. You are not the judge for whether somebody is worth being in this guild or not—or the dictator of their future fates. By logic of you attacking one of you own guild mates, I should expel you from the guild like I did my own grandson!"

Everyone remained silent until Natsu spoke up and said, "Gray, if Freed were lying then all of the other Dragon Slayers would know."

Laxus watched as the Ice Mage looked at the Fire Dragon Slayer and asked, "What the fuck are you talking about."

"Laxus, Gajeel, Wendy, and myself would know if Freed were lying," Natsu stated firmly, "People smell different and sound different when they lie. I'm not as good as picking up on it as the others, but I trust Laxus and Laxus believes Freed. Plus, Wendy believes Porlyusica."

Master Makarov let his children speak when Erza added, "Plus, when we walked in—from what I could tell, Freed wasn't even going to defend himself against you. He does not want to fight anyone in the guild ever again and he was just going to let you attack him. So he sure as hell wouldn't rape Lucy—not when he knows the repercussions of those actions."

"Like Natsu said," Laxus spoke up, "There are too many Dragon Slayers in this guild to get away with rape—from anyone."

No matter what any of them said, Gray still didn't look convinced. Finally Master said, "Gray, I won't expel you until I speak with Freed and Lucy. Your fate will be in there hands."

"But Master," Erza tried to argue.

Master Makarov just held up his hand and said, "It is clear that Gray does not want to hear the truth right now. I will not tolerate people in my guild that don't honor nakama. However, if Lucy and Freed can convince me otherwise—then I will listen. Until then, Gray you are banned from the guild but not allowed to leave Magnolia. Now everyone leave."

Laxus saw the crushed looks on Team Natsu's faces, except for Gray's, when they all got up to leave. Laxus nodded towards Bickslow and Ever that he would follow them down in a bit, but right now Laxus needed to tell his Gramps about his team's suspicions about Freed's father and his own.

* * *

Freed laid a sleeping Lucy down on one of the infirmary beds. He felt horrible as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. He had no idea that she had entered the guild. If he had known, then he would have defended himself against Gray so that Lucy wouldn't have gotten hurt. He had no desire to fight with any of his guild mates, but hearing Lucy's leg break—it sat something off inside of him…something dark.

The Rune Mage put his head in his hands and began to cry in the silent room.

* * *

Everyone in the guild watched as Team Natsu came out of Master's office with Evergreen and Bickslow. Cana could hear the murmurs start back up as Gray made his way down the steps and started heading towards the door. The Card Mage shot up and bolted to the door to question Gray. Before Freed came to the guild that day, Cana could tell that something was off with Gray but he wouldn't' talk about it. As she readied her cards, he would talk about it with her now or she would force it out of him.

"Gray!" Cana called after the Ice Mage as he walked down the streets of Magnolia with his hands in his pockets.

"What do you want?" Gray practically spat out at her.

"For starters, stop fucking walking while I am trying to talk to you!" Cana snapped back.

Cana heard Gray mumble  _'For fuck's sake'_  under his breath before he turned around and snapped, "WHAT?"

She was going to let that one go for the moment before she huffed, "Why would you suddenly attack Freed? I know you and Lucy are friends, but even Natsu has a cooler head than you right now."

She watched as Gray looked past her and replied, "Because it's bullshit."

"What is exactly?" Cana asked with folded arms.

"Just forget it," Gray murmured as he turned to walk away.

Cana grabbed Gray's arm and said, "You aren't going anywhere until you explain yourself to me."

"Get the fuck off me," Gray snapped, "What the hell do you even care for? We aren't a couple. We are just fuck buddies. You made that perfectly clear when you said you didn't want a relationship when we started fucking."

Cana felt like a dagger had gone through her heart. When she said that, she was just trying to protect herself. She didn't want to come across as some needy girl, but she did want more. She wanted everything that normal couples have.

Finally she gathered her wits, somehow without crying and asked, "Do you have feelings for Lucy?"

Gray shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I dunno. I asked her to move in with me."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Cana yelled, now furious.

"Again…why do you care?" Gray asked Cana in disbelief.

"Because Lucy is like a sister to me, you dumbass," Cana spat out at him—plus she was really starting to fall for Gray hard and this was just breaking her heart.

"I don't think Freed is innocent and I didn't like the idea of Lucy raising a kid on her own—especially when it will have a piece of shit for a dad," Gray stated in a monotone voice.

Cana huffed and replied, "You really are a piece of work, ya know?"

Gray raised his brow at her before Cana added, "Freed hasn't done a damn thing to you and don't give me that shit about how he was on Laxus's side during Fantasia. Plus if I remember right, you couldn't beat Bickslow—yet Lucy could, so I doubt she needs you to be her constant protector."

Gray gave her a go to hell look before she toned it back and stated, "I don't get you. I believe Master and I'm not sure why you wouldn't just because of Freed's involvement with Fantasia. It's a poor excuse."

"I don't get it, because unlike Juvia and Gajeel, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen were already members of Fairy Tail when they turned against us!" Gray argued, "They chose to fight us knowing full well what we stood for. Gajeel and Juvia were just in a guild that accepted them for who they were and they went along with their Master's decision."

Cana thought about Gray's logic before she added, "The Raijinshu may have been members of the guild, but I don't think that they ever felt fully part of it until after Fantasia."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Gray spat out.

"Well, think about their magic…" Cana said in a way to try and make Gray think about someone besides himself.

When Gray stood there looking at her with a dumbfounded expression, she rolled her eyes and clarified, "Can you not even picture putting yourself in their shoes for one goddamn minute? Evergreen can literally turn someone to stone with her eyes, Bickslow can take their soul, and Freed can turn into a dark force that is on par with Mira. Chances are they had a rough life growing up and never felt like they belonged anywhere…until Laxus. They were loyal to someone who accepted them for who they were."

She could tell that Gray was struggling with her logic; however, Cana wasn't going to let up, "Do what you want Gray, but Lucy is clearly better off without you right now because she thinks about everyone but herself most of the time. She doesn't need an adult baby like you to deal with along with the one she is going to have."

Then before Gray could give her some smart ass response she used one of her cards to produce a king's crown and handed it to him before she finished with, "Here is a crown to go on your Drama King head and just so we are clear—I didn't want a relationship with anyone because of shit like this. I deserve better than a man who is nothing but a child."

Gray held the crown in his hand as he watched Cana walk away. He was so angry he couldn't think straight until he heard Juvia suddenly appear behind him and say, "My other Love Rival is right. Gray-sama is being a dumbass and Cana-san deserves better than you." Then the Water Mage followed her friend to the guild as Gray turned to head towards his home because he had nowhere else to go.

* * *

Porlyusica rushed to the guild after Levy and Wendy came to get her. Leave it to Makarov's brats to cause such a ruckus and put a poor pregnant girl in danger. When the elderly woman stormed into the guild, Mira immediately pointed up towards Master Makarov's office.

Wendy followed her up the stairs, but snuck into the infirmary to check on Lucy; however, she would not be deterred from her task. The old woman had listened closely to what Levy had described at the guild and Freed's response to when Lucy got injured. One of her theories was correct—Freed would die before any harm befell Lucy or their unborn child. A child that could change the fate of the whole world if brought up in the wrong hands.

The woman didn't even knock as she flung the door open to see Laxus and Makarov in a deep discussion. Master Makarov looked at her and asked in a nervous tone, the man always seemed to know when he was in trouble, "Porlyusica, w-what are you doing here?"

"Wendy and Levy came to get me after the disturbance with your other brats," Porlyusica replied grimly, "And I have something I want to say."

Makarov nodded and motioned for her to have seat before she continued, "I've been doing more and more research about Lucy and Freed and past instances when this same spell occurred and what I can find is that this is an unusual case that has never happened before."

"What do you mean?" Laxus asked in a curious tone.

Porlyusica looked at her friend's grandson. She was surprised that the Dragon Slayer had as many brains as he did with all of those oversized muscles. "Do you remember when I said that in all of the cases I read that the women all died because she was left alone?" Porlyusica asked.

Makarov and Laxus both nodded their heads before she continued, "Well as you may remember, the spell seemed to be trigged by chance and since the victims forgot about what they had done, there was no way for the father to know that he had impregnated a woman. But…this time is different."

"What do you mean?" Makarov asked.

"Buffoons," Porlyusica murmured for she spoke up, "Freed and Lucy do know each other so the spell might change. Freed knows Lucy and knows Lucy is pregnant with his child, he will protect her and possibly start remembering what has been happening to them. With the course of history, it was bound that eventually a Dark and Light mage would know each other. It has never been recorded before, but there is always a first for everything."

Laxus's brows furrowed before he looked at his Gramps and said, "That could be why Freed snapped when Gray hurt Lucy."

Porlyusica nodded and added, "Precisely, the spell itself at its core is still the same, but there are residual effects that have never before been witnessed. It would not be wise to part the two for long, because Freed will be Lucy's best defense, along with the rest of Fairy Tail, especially if this spell was triggered by somebody who knew what they were doing."

"So the nonsense about Lucy going off with her team to do missions is out of the question," Laxus grumbled in relief.

"WHAT?!" Porlyusica demanded to know. Where all members of Fairy Tail so stupid?

Master Makarov sighed heavily before he stated, "Porlyusica, Laxus believes that Ivan and Freed's Father may be behind this mess."

Porlyusica raised her brow before she replied, "If that is the case then it is best that we keep a close eye on Lucy. A child with dark and light magic in either of those men's hands would be catastrophic."

"I don't think we should tell anyone else, especially Team Natsu," Laxus grunted.

Makarov nodded sadly and added, "I believe you are right My Boy, but I don't see them agreeing to let Lucy join your team without a fight."

"Huh?" Laxus asked now confused.

"If it was Ivan and Lord Justine, then the best thing like you said was act as though everything is normal," Makarov began, "But Lucy suddenly joining your team isn't normal, so perhaps I could arrange missions that both of your teams have to go on. That way Freed can be close enough to Lucy yet satisfy Team Natsu's overprotective nature."

"Is it wise to let a pregnant girl go on missions though?" Laxus asked nervously because he didn't really know a lot about babies.

Porlyusica nodded before she replied, "It is ok at this stage in the pregnancy for Lucy to continue missions, but I would like to see her at least every two weeks to check on the baby's development and on Lucy's health."

The three seemed to have come to a decision that Laxus thought was best; however, before he walked out his Grandfather said, "Laxus, you and your team will secretly investigate your father's involvement in this. Nobody else must know."

Laxus just nodded in response before he left Porlyusica and his Gramps alone to talk. As he was walking down the hall, he saw Wendy walk out of the infirmary that Freed had taken Lucy to. The young Dragon Slayer looked at him and stated, "Um…Laxus…I think they need to be alone for a minute."

Laxus arched his brow and then used his hearing to figure out why Wendy was so uncomfortable when he heard Lucy sobbing hysterically. He hated it when girls cried, and he knew Freed was terrible at handling girls' emotions. Laxus couldn't help but smirk before he patted the small girl on the head and murmured towards the room Freed was in, "Good luck, buddy."

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered open when she heard faint sobs, she looked over to see Freed's head resting in the palms of his hands. Her eyes widened in worry, because Freed was always so level headed. She tried to set up, but felt so weak, before she whispered, "Freed."

The Rune Mage immediately froze and then their eyes locked. Lucy was just about to reach out to him when Wendy entered the room and said, "Lucy-san, I want to check on your leg again."

Freed readjusted in his chair and excused himself to the restroom that was attached to the infirmary. Lucy's brown eyes watched him leave as Wendy's healing hands ran over her body.

"Wendy," Lucy whispered, "What happened exactly?"

The bluenette froze for a minute before she answered calmly, "Freed-san was just trying to protect you."

Lucy swallowed hard as the images of Gray trying to attack Freed flashed into her mind. She remembered what he had looked like and even though everyone else seemed to be scared of him, she didn't feel that way though.

She looked back at Wendy and asked, "Were you scared of him?"

Wendy shook her head no after she stopped her magic and said, "Not really. At first it was more shock that Freed-san changed, but then it reminded me of my Mother."

"Your Mother?" Lucy asked confused.

"Grandeeney," Wendy said with a smile, "I remember when I was younger and I stumbled into a Vulcan nest. When my Mother realized what had happened to me, I had never seen her scarier but now I know that she was just worried about my safety. Freed-san just reacted the same way."

Lucy thought hard about what Wendy had said and thought about everything that she had said to Freed over the past few weeks. She thought about him crying moments before and about how he kept trying to reassure her that he would be there to help. Then when the Rune Mage opened the restroom door, Lucy's eyes met his and she couldn't hold back anymore when she busted out into tears and wailed, "F-Freed, I-I am s-so s-s-sorry!"

Wendy quickly excused herself so that the two could talk and Freed took his seat back next to Lucy's bed as the blonde continued to cry and hyperventilate.

"I-I've b-been selfish," Lucy cried, "T-this h-happened to you too and all I-I've been thinking about is m-myself because I-I will have to carry the b-baby."

Freed looked down at the ground and replied, "Lucy, it is fine. You have every right to be selfish."

Lucy shook her head violently no in an attempt to disagree with the ever-kind Freed before she argued, "No, your choice was taken too. It reminds me of when I had to live with my Father."

Freed looked up at Lucy and felt like his heart was about to stop when she continued, "He wanted me to marry who he wanted me to marry and have a child with who he wanted me to have a child with and it wasn't going to be my choice. It is why I ran away."

He did not want to reply or reveal any details about how his Father was still alive or might be involved with this, so Freed just replied, "I am sorry that you had to live through that." In all honesty, he really understood and it is why he ran away too.

Lucy just shrugged her shoulders before she said, "Well, I am sorry that my friend attacked you. I am not really sure what has gotten into Gray."

Freed took a deep inhale, because he knew that he would probably have to deal with Gray again in some way sooner or later, but he didn't want to deal with him today. Especially now that the whole guild saw what this spell can actually do to him.

Then as though Lucy knew what he was thinking she added, "You didn't scare me."

"How could I not have?" Freed asked in disbelief.

Lucy thought about it before she replied, "The magic took over when you thought I got hurt, actually…probably the baby."

The two couldn't make eye contact when Lucy added, "When you changed, it felt like it wasn't the first time I was experiencing seeing you like that. I don't know…it's hard to explain. I just knew that I would be ok."

The two remained silent for several minutes before Lucy reached over and touched Freed's hand. She could tell that he was in deep thought about everything and he was kind of cute when he was trying to solve a really complicated problem. It reminded her of all those days that they spent in the library together, before they told anyone about the spell.

Their eyes met before she said in a soft tone, "Freed, I am really sorry for saying the stuff about wanting to go on a mission—like how I used to. I am just a little heartbroken right now because I had that all taken away from me…but you were right."

Freed didn't respond, because he was more relieved than anything to hear Lucy say that before she added, "I wasn't thinking at the time about everything Porlyusica had said. Like how it could have been another Dark Mage. So I guess what I am trying to say is, if it had to happen—I am glad that it was with you."

He knew what Lucy was trying to say as she started crying again. Their choices were stripped from them, they weren't a couple and had never even been on a date. The two had had very little interactions with each other in the past, but at least they were guild mates that would look out for each other.

Then Freed squeezed Lucy's hand and replied, "No matter what, we are in this together."

Lucy continued to cry and nodded her head in agreement as the two began to think about their very uncertain futures.

* * *

Several hours had passed and Lucy and Freed both spoke with Porlyusica and Master Makarov about the development that had occurred earlier that day. Lucy felt out of it, which Porlyusica said was natural after all of the excitement and with her condition.

Master Makarov had sent Natsu, Erza, and Happy on a short mission so that Lucy could rest peacefully and the Guild Master asked that both Lucy and Freed to return to the guild tomorrow so that they could all discuss Gray together because Lucy was in no condition to do that today.

Lucy couldn't help but be very thankful for Freed that day. He was very kind and attentive and even walked her home before promising to see her at the guild tomorrow. She really just wanted to be at her own place, alone, and curl up with some junk food and watch a movie to forget about everything for a while.

It was nearing midnight when Lucy finally let sleep take her as the movie credits ran in the background…

* * *

_Lucy was suddenly at the Masquerade Ball again as she watched Yukino and Levy go off to dance with Rufus and Jet. It felt like deja vu when she realized that this wasn't just a dream…it was a memory…_

_Lucy felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Rogue Cheney standing before her. She never remembered seeing Rogue that night, but then suddenly felt an odd pull towards him as his red eyes glowed at her. He looked quite attractive in his masquerade attire._

_It was like she was having an out of body experience when she heard herself ask the Shadow Dragon Slayer, "Rogue, how are you tonight?"`_

_The devilish smirk he gave her sent chills down her spine, "I am well tonight, Lucy. However, I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you all evening."_

_Lucy almost dropped her champagne glass when she replied "Well, I-I umm." Her real memories and questions from that night were now finally being revealed to her, she grew nervous because she knew who she ultimately ended up with that night…Freed. Would she see what happened between them?_

_She watched as Rogue handed her champagne glass to one of the waiters before he took her hand in his. He leaned in dangerously close to her and brushed his lips up against her ear before he whispered, "Dance with me."_

_Lucy now remembered the strange feeling that had entranced her. She wanted to scream no because she could feel the strange magic at play around them, because Rogue was like Freed—he used Dark Magic. Porlyusica had been right. However, she found that she had no willpower of her own and watched as the memory of Rogue led her to the dance floor and how she began to feel more and more aroused._

_Lucy let the dream/memory play out, but in her mind she began to think of other things she needed to do once she awoke. At this point in time she was indeed pregnant, yet Rogue and she were still entranced. She thought about everything at the guild that day and how Freed protected her…she really couldn't leave him for long because other dark mages might be drawn to her like Rogue was and only Freed would be able to stop them. Plus she grew more nervous, because she didn't know if she would witness what happened between her and Freed. Would she feel it, like how she could feel Rogue touching her right now?_

_Her eyes widened when dream Rogue whispered in her ear, "Let's get out of here."_

_Her tranced body allowed Rogue to start leading her away, but then she stopped. However, the excruciating pain that ripped through her body was almost worse than her leg snapping today when she whispered, "No."_

_Rogue turned to look at her and his eyes were filled with anger, but nobody around them even seemed to notice what was happening between them. He held onto her wrist tightly and said in a harsh tone, "Come."_

_She remembered feeling almost hopeless and was just about to give into the pain when Freed came up and grabbed Rogue's arm and said in a threatening voice, "Stay away from what is mine."_

_She watched as Freed's eye had flashed purple for a brief second and Rogue's grip on her lessened. Then before the Shadow Dragon Slayer disappeared, he said to Freed, "She won't be yours if you don't fully claim her."_

_Lucy felt confused and prayed to every god that she could think of that she would remember this. What did fully claim mean? Then she felt relief by Freed's presence and the pain went away when she met his eyes. It felt like at the guild earlier when he was carrying her up the stairs—safe. Then her asleep self felt so embarrassed by what the memory of her moaned, "Freed, I need you."_

" _I know," Freed growled as he led her off of the dance floor. This Freed was so different from the kind Freed that was attentive to her needs. This Freed was almost carnal._

_Lucy was both mentally embarrassed and slightly aroused as the memory of her letting Freed escort her down the palace hallways. They stopped outside one of the rooms and Freed said, "In here."_

_She obeyed in the dream, but was scolding herself for having her interest beyond piqued. She felt ashamed because now she was going to see and feel what had happened to her and Freed that night. She watched in awe as Freed put up a hundred different runes in seconds. She made another mental note that only one of Freed's eyes glowed; however, today at the guild when she got hurt both of them were glowing. Then he grabbed her arm and pressed her back against the door roughly. He blocked her way with his arms and her heart began to pound in excitement as his blue eyes roamed over her body._

_He began to kiss her neck slowly and she could feel her body start to come alive as his touch sent adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her head was scolding her again but she had never felt anything that had felt so good before. Then his teeth scrapped against her neck gently before he asked, "Did you like it when Rogue touched you?"_

" _I wanted it to stop," she admitted to him, "But there was so much pain."_

_Freed replied darkly as his eye turned purple once more, "That's because he touched what is already mine."_

" _Oh Freed," Lucy moaned before Freed pulled down Lucy's sweetheart neckline and hungrily kissed and licked her breasts. His touch soothed her, but at the same time it made her crave him more and it felt like her mind was about to explode if he wasn't inside of her soon. She knew without a doubt now…she was really going to experience what it was like with being with the Rune Mage._

_She could hear the moans escape from her lips as he played with her breasts and body and she was ashamed for wanting more. Then he pulled his lips away from her perky nipples and met her gaze again before he said in a dark tone, "Just so there is no question as to who you belong to, I'm going to fuck you all night long."_

* * *

Lucy awoke with a startled gasp. The dream had gone into so much detail. She remembered everything now. She remembered what it felt like having Freed inside of her. She remembered how sexy he looked and how dirty he talked to her as he fucked in on a palace bed. She could still remember the feel of his back muscles flexing as he pounded in and out of her. She could still feel the breath from his mouth as he whispered to her, that she was his and would always be. But what she felt the most right now was the need to go change because her panties were soaked.

"Oh shit," was all Lucy could say when she realized that now she could never look at Freed the same way again—not when she knew how good he felt inside of her and how gentle yet dominating he could really be.

* * *

The Rune Mage awoke with a start and with a massive erection. He remembered everything and blushed as he remembered feeling Lucy under him moaning for him and needing him in such a primal way. He had claimed her over and over again that night at the ball. Then he realized, it wasn't just the child he was trying to protect at the guild that day, it was Lucy too. He quickly grabbed his notebook that he left on his night stand as he began to scribble down everything he remembered of importance from the dream, but in the back of his mind all he could think about was how was he supposed to look at Lucy the same way ever again?


	11. Chapter 11

When Lucy woke up the next morning, her mind was already racing about everything she needed to do and everything that she was already worried about. She could hardly sleep because she kept thinking about her and Freed having sex. Her brows furrowed together, because when she had fallen back asleep her next memory/dream vision was about the night when she lost her virginity. Even though she knew deep down she should still be mad, her heart ached from the memory of Freed trying to fight the magic. Not only was she crying that night, but he was too. He didn't want this to happen to her and that memory proved it. Without a doubt in her mind, she would never blame Freed for what the barbaric spell did to them. She wanted to find the son of a bitch that did this to them, if it was someone, and kick their ass. Then she wanted Wendy to heal them, just so that she could kick their ass again.

However, finding the person that did this to her was not Lucy's main concern today. Instead her mind was plagued with scenarios for how to look or even speak to Freed. Now that she knew what she knew…did he also know? Should she just come out and tell him? What if he was repulsed by it if he did know? What if he didn't believe her if his memories hadn't come back yet? There were too many 'what ifs' in her life right now.

Lucy was mindlessly doing her morning routine and just about to pour herself a hot cup of tea when there was a knock on the door. She had no idea who it could be this early in the morning, because she didn't think Natsu and Erza got back until late last night so they were probably both still asleep—plus Natsu usually didn't knock.

When she looked out her peep hole she secretly did a happy dance when she saw a delivery man, but then she remembered that she hadn't ordered anything recently. Her heart stopped for a second at the fear that this was a trap and that somebody was here to hurt her and her unborn child. She quickly grabbed her keys and then she remembered that Freed had put up runes for her safety. She cleared her throat and asked, "Who is it?"

"My name is Ren and I am with Crocus Delivery Service. Princess Hisui sent me specifically for a delivery for a Ms. Lucy Heartfilia," the delivery man replied.

Lucy shook her head at herself for being so paranoid, because she remembered that Hisui had told her at the ball that she would be sending her father's notes to her. She quickly opened the door and put a smile on her face and greeted him, "Thank you very much, how are you today sir?"

"I'm great Ms. Heartfilia," the busy man replied, "Could I get you to sign here, here, and here? Plus I need to see your keys, the Princess said only to give them to you if you had your keys as identification."

Lucy held up her pouch full of keys to show the man and he nodded and quickly showed her all the different areas she needed to sign before he wheeled in all of the boxes that contained her Father's old books, notes, and files.

She thanked the man again before she shut her door and let out a heavy breath. She had no idea that there would be so many. Her small apartment wouldn't be able to work for all of this. She would need space to decipher some of this stuff, plus she didn't want to worry about Natsu and Happy accidently destroying some of it.

Then without even thinking, Lucy placed her hand on her stomach. She looked down at her now flat tummy and looked around her apartment. So many things would be changing over the next few months; her missions, her apartment, her relationship with Freed, her relationship with her team, her body, but the biggest thing that would change would be that she would have a child in her life. Something that was part her and she still didn't know how she felt about it. She wasn't ready to be a mom and she wasn't entirely sure she even knew how. Selfish thoughts, well what appeared selfish to her, kept popping into her head—like stretchmarks, morning sickness, gaining weight, eating her weight in mashed potatoes every day, not being able to pull off a bikini to perfection next summer. She suddenly began to feel very ugly and alone. What kind of man would want to be with her when she had a child—an all-powerful dark celestial child?

Lucy let out another heavy sigh and began to open each box that Princess Hisui had sent her, because right now she would just try to focus on what she could change and what she could do.

* * *

It was later in the morning when Lucy finally decided to make her way to the guild. She hadn't even made it entirely through her first box of her Father's when she confirmed that she needed to find a new place fast. She already decided that she would accept Hisui's offer, but on her terms, because in a few months there was no way that she would even be able to go on missions. She had to bring in some sort of income. Plus, she was not about to be another puppet used in the world of high society or become another bargaining piece. Which led her to think about what she needed to speak with Freed about—eventually she would start showing and people outside of the guild would start asking questions, so they needed a plan or a story. But how in the hell was she supposed to look at Freed without becoming a blushing/stuttering mess? Also, how was she supposed to act normal at the guild? Everyone saw Gray freak out yesterday and then watched as Freed turned into protective demon daddy.

"What's up, Blondie?" Laxus grunted behind Lucy.

"Kyyyaaa!" Lucy screamed because the blonde Dragon Slayer had startled her. She covered her chest with her hand to try and catch her breath as the Dragon Slayer studied her. She had no idea how long she had zoned out for in front of the guild, because of all her lingering thoughts.

"Laxus," Lucy whispered, "You scared the shit out of me."

"My bad," Laxus shrugged, "But you were kind of blocking the door to the guild for close to five minutes. I thought you had gone into some sort of trance or something."

Lucy hadn't had too many interactions with the Lightning Dragon Slayer before the spell with Freed, but she could tell by how he treated her—he really cared for Freed. She gave him a faint smile and replied, "Sorry about that. I just have a lot on my mind."

Laxus nodded in understanding before he stated, "Well if you are worried about how everyone in the guild is going to act around you, don't be. Gramps had a talk with everyone yesterday after you left the guild for the day."

Lucy just nodded and looked down at the ground before she asked, "What about Gray?"

The large male harrumphed and replied, "I heard Natsu say that Gray hasn't left his apartment since yesterday."

The two remained quiet for another moment, because Lucy felt entirely overwhelmed. Yesterday Master said that he would want to speak with her today in regards to Gray's actions. She just had no idea what had gotten into him. Now that she knew exactly what had happened between her and Freed, she knew that Freed was entirely not to blame. He had done nothing wrong. Gray needed to know that.

"Hey Laxus," Lucy whispered, "Is Freed already here?"

Laxus used his dragon senses to listen in on the guild before he nodded.

Lucy could feel her nerves start to act up because all the visions of Freed and her having sex began to enter her mind. Then Laxus began to walk past her before he opened the guild door and stated, "It sucks what happened with Gray because I know he is your friend and all, but Freed is a good guy and he won't let anything else bad happen to you."

Lucy smiled faintly at the large man's confession over his best friend. "Thanks Laxus," Lucy replied, "Freed is a good man."

She knew that Laxus knew that something was up, but instead of dwelling on it more and more, Lucy decided to just follow the Lightning Dragon Slayer inside the guild. She let out a relieved sigh because the guild seemed to be its usual rowdy self. People were already drunk and it was barely noon.

Despite being in a crowded room, Lucy's eyes almost immediately went to Freed Justine's cool blue eyes. He was sitting across the guild from her next to Evergreen and Bickslow. Ever and Bicks were chatting about something, but Freed's eyes were entirely on her. The room suddenly began to feel hotter and hotter to Lucy as the memory of Freed's sensual voice echoed in her mind,  _"Just so there is no question as to who you belong to, I'm going to fuck you all night long."_

"Yo Blondie, you ok?" Laxus asked with a cleared throat, "You are kind of zoning out again and your face looks like a tomato."

"B-baka! I'm fine!" Lucy snapped back with a nervous exasperation. Stupid Dragon Slayers and their stupid senses.

Her eye contact broke with Freed when Laxus smirked, "Well if you are done ogling my best friend now, Gramps is up in his office waiting on you two."

Before Lucy could kick Laxus in the face, the Dragon Slayer had already started walking towards his best friend. Her brows furrowed together, because Laxus must have seen the way she was looking at Freed or sensed her very confused and possibly aroused nerves. Freed was now a mystery to her. What happened between them was wrong and forbidden magic, but when the magic took over them…they enjoyed it…enjoyed each other. She felt like a bad girl now for seeing Freed in a new way—in a sexual way. The way he had whispered into her ear while they ravaged each other—it was like pure smut straight out of one of Erza's romance novels. It was something she had always wanted in a future partner.

Either way, Lucy tried to swallow her mixed emotions. In reality, she was about a month pregnant now. Her emotions and hormones were probably all over the place. She made her way to the guild stairs and waved at everyone who smiled and greeted her. She could tell everyone was trying super hard to act normal. Deep down she was thankful that she was in such a loving guild. They would all keep her and Freed's secret—they would protect their nakama.

"Hello Lucy," Freed greeted her when he reached the stairs.

"Mm…h-hi," Lucy replied in a hushed nervous voice.

She could tell that Freed was studying her, but she just couldn't look at him as they made their way up the stairs together. She was fairly certain that he could hear her heartbeat and smell her perspiration.

"Lucy," Freed said in a gentle tone.

"Mm?" was all Lucy could reply with. Gods, she felt like a moron.

She could tell that Freed was still studying her before he added, "Do you think we can speak privately after we speak with Master Makarov?"

"Uh-uh…w-well…I u-uh," Lucy stammered out, "Uhhhh…"

"Are you all right?" Freed asked now in a more serious tone.

Lucy could see the worried expression on Freed's face. She probably looked like a complete idiot so she mentally slapped herself and stated in a quick voice, "Fine and yes."

Freed blinked a few times at her, but before he could ask anything else, and before Lucy could make herself look like an idiot even more, Master Makarov opened the door to his office and said, "Hello children, please come in and have a seat. Porlyusica is already here as well."

Lucy took a deep breath before she stepped in Master Makarov's office. She was greeted with a warm smile from Porlyusica who asked her, "How are you feeling today Lucy?"

"Much better," Lucy replied in a quiet voice, "Thank you."

Master Makarov motioned for Lucy and Freed to have a seat before he added, "That is very good to hear, because I have several things I would like to say if you two don't mind."

Lucy and Freed looked at each other before they nodded to Master Makarov that they were listening. The old Master's face changed into a more somber expression before he continued, "My children, nothing can begin to describe how sorry I am that this has happened to you both. I wish that there was something I could have done to stop it or protect you from it."

"Master," Freed spoke up, "It's not your fault."

Lucy noticed how Master Makarov didn't look entirely convinced before he patted Freed's knee and added, "Thank you, but either way—you and Lucy now have to pay a price that neither of you were even asked to pay."

Lucy tried to steady her breathing before her hand rested on her stomach gently. Then Master Makarov continued, "Fairy Tail will protect you and the child that you will have together as though it was your decision to have it; however, right now one of my children has gone against that decision of mine and has hurt this guild."

The small Master looked at Lucy and stated, "Lucy, my sweet girl, I feel sick thinking about how you could have been with your team when this spell was triggered. How it could have been another man besides Freed. I am so sorry that this happened to you."

Lucy suddenly felt entirely nauseated by the fact that another man besides Freed could have done that to her. It could have been any dark mage—even Rogue. If Porlyusica was right, the spell might keep getting triggered—she would need Freed to stop the other mages…but then would they sleep together again…like before? In all honestly, things could be much worse in her life right now.

However, her concentration was broken when Master Makarov said, "I have reached the decision that Gray be expelled from the guild for the time being. We all have to be in alliance with one another and we can't have members acting out and risking unveiling to people outside of the guild that this was not your decision."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked in shock that Master Makarov would expel Gray, plus she wasn't entirely sure what he meant.

Master Makarov looked at her with sympathy when he clarified, "Lucy, as you know, we do not know if someone did this on purpose or not. It is why I wanted to speak with you and Freed today privately. You will soon start showing and our other guild friends will notice that you are pregnant and you will get asked who the father is. What do you plan on saying?"

Freed looked at Lucy with concern and this is exactly what had been troubling her earlier. She looked over at Freed for the first time and replied in an honest and soft voice, "I don't know."

Master Makarov nodded before he added, "We can't reveal that it was a spell. If someone did trigger this because they want your child then we can't let them know that we think it was a spell. This type of magic is forbidden. If the magic council finds out, they will most likely take you away."

"What?!" Lucy asked in horror.

"Master, what do you mean?" Freed asked quickly.

"A child like this is rare," Master Makarov stated honestly, "I do not trust everyone on the council and there is a possibility that they would also be interested in taking Lucy away to study her and study the baby. It would be a puppet to them and many other people in our world."

Lucy had never even thought about the council. The world felt like it was getting smaller and smaller. Less trusting and less safe.

Then Master Makarov added, "If there is a member in our guild who cannot help protect you and the story that we will all follow, then that member must be banished."

"Gray," Lucy whispered.

"I don't wish for Gray to be banished," Freed spoke up.

Master Makarov and Lucy both looked at Freed when the Rune Mage continued, "He is one of Lucy's closest friends and I think he will keep her safe above everything else. Yes he acted out in anger, but I think he deserves another chance."

"He attacked you and hurt Lucy," Master Makarov stated, "What if Lucy would have miscarried? We don't know what would have happened."

"I understand that," Freed admitted, "but Gray will help protect Lucy."

Lucy continued to look at Freed. Gray had tried to seriously hurt him, yet here he was—defending the Ice Mage.

"Very well," Master Makarov stated, "If Gray can follow orders, then he can stay."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered to Makarov, "I'll talk to him."

Makarov nodded then looked at Porlyusica who cleared her throat and said, "Lucy and Freed, Lucy is already one month pregnant by my calculations. Shockingly, Makarov is right…you need to come up with a story. It is not my business to discuss that, because it is your decision, but Lucy—I would like to see you every two weeks. Have you begun noticing any symptoms?"

Lucy shook her head no and Porlyusica nodded in understanding before she added, "Just because you haven't yet, doesn't mean that you won't. I have no doubt that this pregnancy will be unique and the closer you can stay to Magnolia the better."

Lucy just nodded, because it felt like all of her choices were being taken away—each by each. Makarov and Porlyusica looked at each other again before Makarov said, "We will leave you two alone for a bit, but please understand that we care for you both and we don't want anything to happen to you."

"Thank you, Master," Lucy replied quietly, because even though she hated that she was pregnant she knew that she had to accept that things would be different now—she just didn't know how to yet.

Once the door closed behind them, Lucy realized she was alone with Freed and the nerves suddenly started coming back. The room was suddenly incredibly hot again when Freed cleared his throat and said in a husky voice, "Lucy, there is something important that I need to tell you."

"Hm?" Lucy asked as she tried to remain calm and not look like a weirdo.

She watched as Freed pulled out a small journal from his coat before he continued, "Last night, in my dreams…I…"

Lucy watched Freed carefully and saw a faint blush appear across his face. Her eyes widened in horror of an awkward situation when she murmured out, "Y-you…dreamt it too?"

Their eyes met briefly before they quickly turned away. Lucy wanted to die from embarrassment when the image of her wrapping her legs around Freed's torso entered her mind as she begged him to let her cum.

"Yes," Freed answered, "I dreamt about what had happened between us."

"I did too," Lucy whispered as she played with the hem of her skirt. Then she laughed nervously before she added, "At least we both know for certain now, that it was neither of our faults."

"Yes," Freed answered again, "But for what it's worth, I am still sorry."

Lucy just nodded and replied, "Me too."

There were several minutes of awkward silence when Freed finally cleared his throat and continued, "I'm not sure how you would like to proceed now that we both know and with everything that Master Makarov and Porlyusica just said. Whatever you need and want, I am here for you."

Lucy took a deep breath, because no matter what—she could not stop picturing fucking the brains out of Freed. Now she even remembered the night when they had stayed in the palace, she had woken the Rune Mage up just to ride him. Now here he was all stoic next to her and she couldn't read a single thing off of him. Was he repulsed by her now?

"I don't really know," was all she could reply with.

"Well we need a plan," Freed stated calmly and too rationally.

Lucy rolled her eyes and whispered, "No shit."

"I'm sorry?" Freed asked now confused by Lucy's agitation.

"Freed," Lucy stated quickly as she turned in her chair to somewhat look him in the face, "Did those memories n-not bother you?"

A deep blush appeared on the man's face before he resumed his composure and replied, "Bother me? In what way?"

She wanted to face palm herself because she was hoping he would just open up, but Freed was always like a closed book. He rarely let his emotions show, whereas she was like her team and could fly off the handle at any given second. How could he be so damn calm? She was a cute girl that only he got to ravage. It just bothered her.

"Never mind," was all Lucy could finally say in response to Freed's question. She took a deep breath and just looked at anything but Freed when she added, "Master is right though, people will start to ask. I won't be able to take many missions later which is why I am going to take a job for Princess Hisui, so that I can have some income. But people like Yukino, Hisui, Blue Pegasus…all of these people will ask me who the father is."

Freed listened to Lucy and then his eyes widened when Lucy whispered, "I can't ask you for anymore though Freed, what if…what if you..."

"What if I what?" Freed asked.

"G-get a girlfriend," Lucy stammered out in embarrassment, "How will we explain that I am your Baby Mama?! Even if I said I didn't know who the father was, nobody would believe me to be that type of girl. Then if we say it is someone else, we don't know what kind of magic this child will have. Will it be a Celestial Mage, a Dark Mage, or something else?"

Freed blinked in confusion, by Lucy's rambling and the only thing he could think to ask for clarification on was, "Baby Mama?"

Lucy looked at Freed in disbelief, "You know…a woman that has your child but you have no feelings or anything towards her. She's just the mother of your child!"

Freed kept his mouth closed, because he was starting to think that Lucy was already experiencing early pregnancy symptoms because she was making no sense whatsoever. However, he kept his composure and just replied, "You are not, nor will you ever be, just my Baby Mama."

Lucy blushed again when Freed continued, "Also, you need not worry about me finding a girlfriend. That would be most inappropriate with our current situation."

Lucy wasn't sure why, but Freed's response didn't really reassure her in anyway. She wasn't sure what she wanted from him or what to ask for, but she felt so lonely. How would anyone ever understand what she felt like? She was going to have a kid! An actual human being. Yet she had no feelings towards this baby at all because she didn't want it.

"Lucy," Freed said gently, "Might I make a suggestion?"

"Hm?" was all Lucy could reply with.

She watched as Freed struggled with words before the Rune Mage stated, "I think you should be my girlfriend."

Lucy laughed a little because it reminded her of the other day when Freed asked to marry her. He really was a knight in shining armor. But then before she could respond, he said logically, "I mean, you don't have to be if you don't want to, but I believe we should pretend to be at least. This will help protect you and the baby."

"How exactly?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Clearly the Rune Mage wasn't affected by her the way she was by him now.

"Couples accidently get pregnant all the time," Freed replied with certainty, "We can just say that we were seeing each other for a while, but chose to keep it a secret. Also, you were right about how we don't know what kind of magic the baby would have—plus the spell can still be triggered so you and I can't be apart or a great distance apart for long so it would be logical to play that off as us being a couple. Also, if you are going to take a job with the Princess—you might face opposition being a woman of your status."

Lucy took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She hadn't even thought about that. She had only thought about how people would react once the Heartfilia name came back into play—not about how she would be having a "bastard" child. The Princess might decide that she didn't want her help…but Hisui wasn't like that. She hated lying, but Freed did have a good plan.

"It's a good idea," Lucy admitted, "What made you think of that though? About working for the Princess I mean."

"It was just how I was raised," Freed replied quickly before he changed the subject, "I won't ask for your hand in marriage again, but have you thought about living arrangements?"

"Yes, I need to find a new place," Lucy admitted, "All of the stuff I am going to be helping Hisui with takes up too much space—plus I don't want Natsu or Happy accidently destroying it, but my place is too small."

There was another moment of silence before Freed offered, "You can live with me if you want. My place is big enough and you will be safe."

"Plus, it's what couples do," Lucy replied sarcastically.

She saw Freed's eyes sadden a bit, which made her feel like an ass. She knew he was just trying to help so she put her hand on his leg and said, "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can. I know I will face opposition from high society because I will be unmarried and pregnant. But please understand that a lot has been taken from me recently and I feel like I still need to be me."

Freed smiled at her faintly before he replied, "I understand that."

"So, I guess you are my boyfriend now?" Lucy asked nervously.

"I think it is for the best," Freed answered seriously.

Lucy put on a brave smile and nodded before she ended with, "Sounds like a plan. I'll talk to you later. Right now I really want to go see my team and try and speak with Gray."

Freed just nodded and watched as the blonde quickly exited the room. He hoped he was doing the right thing.

* * *

"Hey Luce!" Natsu yelled at her from across the guild.

Lucy ran over to her team and tried to ignore everyone else in the guild. She felt like she could feel everyone's eyes on her. "Hey guys," Lucy replied with a smile.

"Lucy," Erza sighed in relief, "It is good to see you. I am glad that you aren't hurt."

Lucy just shook her head because she didn't want to talk about this at the guild, mostly because she was afraid that she would start crying. "I'm fine," Lucy replied quickly, "Actually, I was wondering if you guys wanted to help me look for a new place?"

"What's wrong with your place now?" Natsu asked with a pout before he put his hands behind his head.

"It's too small for a baby, plus I need a workspace for the job I will be doing for Princess Hisui," Lucy told her friend.

Erza nodded in agreement; however, Natsu still didn't look convinced before the red haired woman replied, "We would love to."

Lucy nodded her thanks before she stood back up and said, "I would really like to talk to Gray first though, because I am really worried about him."

Natsu harrumphed and replied, "Ice Princess still needs to cool down I think."

"That may be," Lucy added, "But if I don't then I'm afraid that he could make things worse."

Erza nodded her head in agreement before she added, "She's right Natsu. Besides, you know Master told us yesterday before we went on that short mission that we would have to start working with Laxus and the Raijinshu on missions because Freed will be the only one who can possibly help Lucy if another Dark Mage shows up."

"That doesn't make any sense to me still," Natsu admitted.

Lucy looked at Natsu and Erza, she was really glad that Happy was not here for this when Lucy stated, "I have my memories back."

Natsu and Erza both looked back at her when Erza asked, "All of them?"

Lucy nodded before she continued, "All of them. None of it was Freed's fault, or mine. I won't go into details, but you should know that Freed did save me at the ball. Nobody else was even aware I was in danger, but because of the spell—Freed stopped it from me having to sleep with someone else."

"Fuck," Natsu said in anger at the situation.

"Lucy, I am so sorry," Erza replied seriously.

Lucy just shrugged her shoulders before she stated, "It can't be changed now and I'm not sure it could have ever been changed to begin with. However, there is something you guys need to know though…Freed and I need to pretend to be a couple."

"What for?" Natsu asked in confusion.

"Well again, I will have to be close to Freed. We really don't know what will happen with the spell. Plus, I don't know what kind of magic this baby will have. People will start asking questions soon and Freed has agreed to help," Lucy admitted.

Erza got up so that she could move to be on the same side of the booth as Lucy before the armored mage pulled her friend into a fierce hug. Lucy couldn't hold back the tears anymore when Erza said, "No matter what, we will be here for you and support whatever decision you make."

Natsu nodded his head in agreement before he leaned his pink head against hers and the two mages let their friend cry in their embrace.

* * *

Freed had made his way down the stairs and saw out of the corner of his eye that Lucy was with her team. He was relieved that in some ways she was doing better, but he was still bothered by everything. He wanted to help her and be there for her more than she was letting him. He just supposed it would take time. Then Evergreen questioning him the other night about his feelings for Lucy started to resurface. After remembering what it was like being with Lucy, he couldn't help but feel flustered by the blonde's presence. She was like an angel sent from the heavens. Her intelligence, her wit, her strength, her beauty…he found her to be most intriguing. He hated himself for the fact that he enjoyed the memories of being with Lucy. Of course he disliked that it was against their will, but something about the memory of being in the palace stirred something within him. Watching her cum because of him was one of the most beautiful images he had ever seen. She was so response to his touch and he didn't know he would enjoy being with a woman that way—but he did…and now he felt like a piece of shit for even feeling that way.

His team was waiting for him and Evergreen could hardly wait to ask, "So how did it go? Is Master going to kick Gray out?"

"Not if he cooperates," Freed replied, because he didn't really feel like talking.

Freed watched as Laxus eavesdropped on the conversation between Lucy and Team Natsu. Laxus's brows rose in surprise before the Dragon Slayer asked, "Ever, Bicks…can you two give me and Freed a moment?"

"Someone is in trouble," Bickslow whispered to Ever before they went to the bar to give Freed and Laxus some space.

Freed could tell that Laxus was listening to Lucy still, so he remained quiet. Then finally Laxus asked, "Do you have your memories back too?"

Freed just nodded before Laxus looked at him and said, "That can't be easy."

"It's not," Freed replied honestly.

The two both looked at Lucy who was now leaving the guild with her team. Freed saw how she was wiping tears away from her face and he wanted to follow her and help her, but now was not the time. She had her team and they all loved her dearly.

"They are going to go talk to Gray," Laxus stated, "Hope the dumbass listens."

When Freed didn't reply, Laxus asked him, "Do you like her?"

"In what way?" Freed asked.

"You know what way," Laxus replied.

"I don't know," Freed answered.

The two friends remained quiet before Freed admitted, "I still feel like it is my fault, even though I know for certain that she and I were both enchanted. I just know it must have been my father and if it was…how could she ever forgive me if she found out?"

Laxus looked at his friend closely. Freed was like a rock, but the man before him looked like he could crumble at any second. "I think if it is your shitty dad, then Lucy would forgive you," Laxus admitted, "She had a shitty dad too, ya know?"

Freed didn't look convinced before Laxus continued, "I think what we should do is go on a mission to do some digging. I'll talk to Gramps about coordinating a mission with Team Natsu so that they don't get suspicious and we can get to the bottom of this. However, I don't think you should feel guilty about anything. You are a good guy Freed and I think Blondie sees that. You two will make a cute couple."

Freed couldn't help but chuckle a little before he added, "But we aren't a real couple."

Laxus stood up and patted Freed's back before he smirked and stated, "Not yet."

A deep blush covered Freed's face before the now laughing Lightning Dragon Slayer walked away to speak to his Gramps.

* * *

Lucy knocked on Gray's apartment door while Erza and Natsu waited for her. When Gray didn't answer, Lucy knocked louder and said, "Gray it's me! Open up!"

She could faintly hear commotion going on inside the apartment before the door opened. Gray's bloodshot eyes looked back at her before she asked, "Can I come in?"

Gray just sighed and opened the door to let his friend in. Lucy looked around his apartment and saw several empty bottles of liquor and beer. "Gray," Lucy whispered in sadness. She wondered if Cana had been over here recently, then her heart sank a little when she realized how self-indulged she had been recently. She had barely had a chance to talk to anyone besides her team, Freed, his team, Master, and Porlyusica. She felt selfish because the world hadn't stopped just because it felt like hers had. Cana must be feeling awful after what had happened between Gray and Freed yesterday.

"Don't worry about me," Gray grumbled before he plopped down on his couch.

Lucy sat down next to Gray and watched as the Ice Make Mage put his head between his hands. She wasn't entirely sure how to begin.

Luckily she didn't have to when he said in a grim tone, "I am sorry for hurting you. It wasn't my intention."

"I know," Lucy whispered as she began to rub his back, "But Freed didn't deserve that."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!?" Gray spat out angrily.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat by the sudden change in demeanor. Gray looked at her and continued, "Lucy, for fuck's sake you were a virgin. That shouldn't have happened to you! And certainly not with him!"

She wasn't sure what Gray had against Freed, other than Fantasia. Then her own tempered flared when she snapped back, "He didn't deserve it and I would know because I have my memories back!"

Gray studied her closely before she continued, "It wasn't his fault and I am not going to go into the details with you about it, but he does not deserve your unwarranted wrath."

"You really have your memories back?" Gray asked in shock.

"I do," Lucy admitted firmly.

"And he didn't force himself upon you?" Gray questioned her.

"Not any more than what I did to him," Lucy stated—slightly embarrassed.

Gray blinked in confusion before he stared off. She had no idea what he was thinking when Gray began to rub the back of his neck. He looked at her again before he replied, "I'm sorry."

"I know you are," Lucy replied, "But Master is close to kicking you out. Look this isn't easy on anyone, but Freed and I are going to pretend to be a couple and we can't have…"

However, Lucy was cut off when Gray interrupted her and asked, "Why do you have to pretend to be a couple?"

"Ummm, because people don't just suddenly get pregnant out of nowhere and because we don't know if someone did this on purpose and Freed is the only one that stands a chance around other dark mages if they fall under a trance," Lucy started rambling.

"You don't need him," Gray spat out.

Lucy was beyond confused. What did Gray still not get about this? "Gray you aren't making any sense," she admitted, "It's like you aren't listening to anyone. What don't you get about this?"

There were several moments of silence before Gray answered, "I can protect you. I can pretend to be the dad for you."

Lucy fell back against the back of the couch and claimed, "Gray, I know you can—just not in the same way Freed can right now. I have a memory of something that happened at the ball and Freed saved me. Plus, I don't know what kind of magic this baby will have. If they are like Freed then I will need his help."

Gray snorted in disgust when Lucy looked at him and pleaded, "Please think about what you are doing to me."

Gray looked at her as tears started to fall down her eyes. "Gray, I didn't ask for this and neither did Freed," Lucy cried, "You are one of my best friends and I don't know what has gotten into you. You won't listen and you are just being stubborn! How do you think I feel!? I have to pretend to be someone's girlfriend because I don't know if some psychopath is going to try and cut this thing out of my stomach. I don't want it! But can I get an abortion?! NO! Because now I know for a fact that other dark mages are drawn to me because one of them tried to fuck me at the ball!"

Gray sat in silence while Lucy let out every fear she was holding back. He was shocked by some of her thoughts, even the weird ones about how Freed might not find her attractive and how she was worried that Freed might find a girlfriend once she got bigger from being pregnant. The girl was not making any damn sense. But for the first time since he had found out about Lucy, he felt like a piece of shit.

Lucy was still ranting, and Gray wasn't sure about what, when he grabbed her and pulled her close to him. She stopped talking suddenly when he admitted, "I am so sorry."

"You should be!" Lucy cried harder, "You jerk!"

Gray couldn't help but smile as he let Lucy cry out all of her nonsensical thoughts. He was an ass. He had acted like an ass, so the least he could do was to let Lucy cry and not judge her for anything that she said, because he knew that she wouldn't judge him either if roles were reversed.

After several minutes, Lucy finally pulled away from Gray's embrace to dry her eyes. She looked at him and murmured, "Baka."

"I know," Gray admitted before he grew serious. Right now this was all too much for him when he asked, "So what is your next step?"

"I have to find a new place," Lucy admitted, "My apartment isn't big enough for everything that will be happening."

Gray nodded his head before he stated, "The offer still stands."

Lucy looked at him with a confused expression before he clarified, "Living with me."

"You know that won't work," Lucy whispered.

Gray shrugged before he said, "I had to try one more time before I go."

"Go?" Lucy asked now confused.

"I won't attack Freed," Gray replied, "But I think I need to travel for a bit and cool down. It's all a lot to take in. I think some space for everyone would be best."

"You're leaving?" Lucy asked for clarification, her voice crackling in fear.

"Just for a bit. I don't think anyone would be happy to see me at the guild right now anyways," Gray stated.

"What about Cana?" Lucy asked as the tears started again.

"Especially her," Gray admitted.

Lucy wasn't sure what Gray meant by that and she wasn't sure as to how she felt about him leaving. He was one of her best friends and he wasn't even going to help her through this.

"I won't be gone forever," he promised her, "Just a couple of weeks to clear my head. I'm going to leave first thing in the morning."

Lucy just nodded, because she didn't know what else there was to do. Then she took a deep breath and asked, "Well, can we at least have a Team Party tonight. Like old times?"

Gray smirked before he replied, "I don't mind, but you can't drink."

"Damn," Lucy replied because she didn't even think about how not drinking alcohol would add to her list of changes.

"But I think that sounds fun," Gray replied as he stood up.

"Great!" Lucy cheered, "Erza and Natsu are already waiting below to help me find a place. Let's make a day out of it."

Gray just nodded in agreement as he followed the blonde outside. She was already demanding that he buy her lots of chocolate to make up for his behavior and since he would be leaving. Gray saw that Erza and Natsu were studying him closely when they got down stairs and Happy had finally caught up with the group. He would tell them later, because Erza immediately started pointing out house listings from the newspaper, but Gray knew he needed to leave Magnolia. He was determined to find the reason behind the spell that cursed his best friend.


	12. Chapter 12

It was later in the evening when Freed poured himself a hot cup of tea in his house. He hadn't seen or heard from Lucy since she left the guild earlier that day. He supposed that was normal. It wasn't like they were a real couple or anything, but the analyst and planner side of him wanted them to have a better strategy than what they had. Their stories needed to match for when other people started finding out. He knew enough from being a member of Fairy Tail that people were nosey. They always asked questions like  _'Where was your first date?'_  or  _'Are they a good kisser?'_  He knew eventually that somebody would ask them those types of questions. What would Lucy say? What should he say?

He knew what men thought about Lucy; however, most men never looked past her beauty. He knew how completely mesmerizing Lucy was and how lucky any man would be to have someone as gorgeous as her, but he wasn't interested in just her looks. Her mind was like a complex puzzle that he found most intriguing. She always seemed to choose the option that most people wouldn't. She was selfless, kind, warm, funny, and extremely intelligent. In his experiences, most people were cruel and evil. They only thought about themselves and what they could gain from a situation or from a person—but not Lucy. Now here he was in a pretend relationship with her so that they could bring a child into the world that people would hunt down to exploit. It was like a demon had mated with an angel.

He looked around his empty house. Everything he had was immaculate, except for the old tomes he had stored in his library. He had heard stories about how messy children were and he didn't know how he would handle a child in his house. He remembered when he was younger and he had spilt paint on the floor, his Father had beaten him for making a mess and for doing something as childish as painting. He had no idea how to be a good dad. He supposed he would have to start reading books on parenting, because the only thing he knew was to act nothing like his own Father.

The Rune Mage took his tea and began to walk through his house towards his library. He loved his home. He had hand selected every detail, from the dark wood floor boards, the large beige couches in his living room with large pillows and throw blankets, the soft lighting and rugs, to the intricate mantel over the fireplace. He had grown up in such a large and impractical mansion. There was no sense of home or warmth anywhere inside of those walls, which is why he had decorated his new home in such a precise way. It was warm, safe, and his sanctuary. He really wished that Lucy would have accepted his offer to live with him. He had two spare bedrooms that he did not use. When he renovated the old cottage, he had no idea just how roomy it would be. There would be plenty of room for Lucy and the baby, but he would give her the space that she had requested.

Just as Freed took a seat in a large leather backed chair in his den, next to his beloved fireplace, there was a knock at the door. The runes he had put up determined it was Laxus, so Freed put down the barrier to let his friend in. The large Dragon Slayer made his way to Freed's den before he plopped down on the chaise lounge near one of Freed's large windows.

"Well, Gramps cleared a mission for us to go on with Team Natsu for tomorrow if you are still interested," Laxus began, "It's a simple clearing out bandits job in the forest near Clover Town."

Freed closed the book he had been reading before he stated, "But my Father doesn't live anywhere near Clover Town."

"I know, but Gramps received word that these bandits have a lot of dark mages and have been hitting the country side. Their pattern has them heading straight towards Magnolia," Laxus replied in a grim tone before he looked over at his friend.

Freed felt a sudden pang in his chest before he whispered, "Does your Grandfather believe that the curse could be triggered because of Lucy or myself if they get too close?"

Laxus nodded before he replied, "I don't think I need to tell you how bad it could be if there are a gang of dark magic users that go after Lucy."

Freed did not want to hear anymore, because his imagination was far more vivid than the average mind. His own thoughts me him want to vomit at the idea of all those men raping Lucy. "But is it wise that she goes with us then while we fight them?" Freed asked for clarification, "Would it not be better if she and I were to stay here?"

Laxus shrugged, "It's better that she is closer to you no matter what now. Ya know, like a certain Shadow Dragon Slayer? Plus, you can keep her safe from a bunch of shitty bandits and these dark mages might know something that we don't. My Pops always seems to find a bunch of criminals to do his work for him, so yours might do the same. We will leave tomorrow morning at the train station. Mira said she would stop by Lucy's tonight on her way home to let Team Natsu know; however, I already told Gramps that Gray isn't going. We don't need some jackass fucking the mission up because he is trying to be a hot-shot."

Freed just nodded, because he knew Laxus was right. However, he had no idea how Lucy would respond, or her team, once they found out what the mission really entailed. He didn't know if it was wise to be sending Lucy into a possible dangerous situation, but then she herself wanted to go on a mission without his aide. She probably wouldn't be content to sit at home while their teams took care of a bad situation for them. At least for now, he would just be on extra high alert.

* * *

It was just before dawn when Lucy woke up and saw that Gray had already left. The team had looked at several new apartments and houses for her yesterday, but with no luck. Then when they all got take-out that night, Gray broke the news to Natsu, Erza, and Happy that he would be leaving Magnolia for a bit. Natsu of course flew off the handle, but Erza seemed to understand. Her team was already changing and she felt like she was already losing them because of this curse. Gray barely looked at her last night, especially after Mira had stopped by to tell them that Master had signed them up for a mission with Laxus and the Raijinshu. She was frustrated because she wanted to fix everything, yet she had no idea how she could fix any of it.

She decided that she would take a hot bath before she packed her bag. Mira said the mission would be a few days and Lucy didn't know when she would get the luxury of her own bath again. When she stepped over a snoring Natsu and Happy, she couldn't help but smile because Natsu whispered something about food.

Erza, Natsu, and Happy weren't happy with recent events but at least they weren't making her feel worse about everything. True, they might be a little bit overprotective right now but she had no idea what had gotten into Gray. If anyone would have told her that she would be impregnated with some mystical baby, she thought Gray out of everyone would have handled it the coolest—no pun intended. Out of all of her teammates, Gray was usually the one that she could joke with the easiest and who was the most levelheaded—besides herself. She felt heartbroken that he was suddenly gone because of something that had happened to her.

As Lucy poured bubble bath into her steaming bath water, the fall green apple color mingled in the ripples. Her heartbeat quickened a little as Freed's face popped into her mind. Out of everyone she could have lost her virginity to, she lost it to one of the most closed off men in the guild. She had no idea what to think of him most of the time. There were all the things that she did know, like how he was loyal, honest, kind, logical, and powerful. Now that she saw him a new way, she didn't know what to think. He was so kind to her throughout the entire process. He always offered to help her and gave her space to make her own decisions, but today she felt like she couldn't make a decision about anything. She wasn't sure how good she would be on this mission. Her team was used to rounding up bandits, but this time would be different. Mira had warned her, and only her, that many of the bandits were dark mages. She felt terrified.

Lucy lowered herself into the water and took a deep breath as the hot water soothed her body. She leaned her head back to stare up at the ceiling. She didn't know how the teams would interact with each other. Would Natsu and Erza be ok with her being so close to Freed? Would they make a big scene? It all seemed like a nightmare waiting to happen.

Just as Lucy closed her eyes to try and relax, the door to her bathroom was flung open and Natsu shouted, "Luce! Do you have any bacon!?"

"GET OUT!" Lucy screamed in annoyance as she threw the closest shampoo bottle at her friend.

"AHHH!" Natsu screamed just before he ducked out of the way of the shampoo bottle.

"NATSU! DON'T BARGE IN ON GIRLS WHILE THEY ARE BATHING!" Erza yelled just before she conked Natsu over the head with her fist.

"Lucy!" Happy called out to her, "Are you going to pack sexy underwear for the mission for Freed?"

"Ugghhhhh," Lucy grumbled before she slid under the water to escape from her friends. She could still hear the commotion, even under the water, and couldn't help it when a grin spread across her face—because at least not everything had changed.

* * *

Team Natsu and Lucy waited at the train station for Freed and the others, because Evergreen was going to purchase the tickets for them. Lucy could vaguely hear Natsu complaining to Happy about having to ride the train to begin with, but all Lucy could think about was seeing Freed. She was so nervous that she thought she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Natsu was a Dragon Slayer, how was he also not deafened by the sound of her nerves?

"There they are," Erza stated as she started to haul all of her luggage towards her guild mates.

"Natsu, maybe you should ask Laxus why transportation doesn't bother him as much," Happy chimed in.

"Psshhh," was all the response that Happy received from Natsu.

Lucy however remained quiet as her eyes immediately went to Freed. She could feel the reddening of her face when she saw his perfectly defined face and the beauty mark under his eye. He was always so composed and regal.

Evergreen quickly handed out everyone's ticket and Lucy was both surprised and relieved when she saw that they would have two private cabins for everyone. Then Evergreen looked at the boys and stated with an authoritative voice, "The girls would prefer to ride alone."

"Agreed," Erza said, finishing the conversation and ignoring the dumbfounded expression on the guys' faces.

"But I get sick," Natsu pouted and looked at Lucy.

Laxus just rolled his eyes as Lucy looked at her best friend and replied nervously, "Sorry Natsu, but maybe Freed has some runes that would help you with your motion sickness."

Freed looked at Lucy for a moment in surprise before he gently smiled at her, but then Erza walked up to Natsu and stated, "That won't be necessary." Then she punched the back of his head and knocked him out cold.

"That works too," Bickslow laughed.

Lucy just sighed and was about to pick Natsu up, like she always did, but then Laxus held out his hand and replied, "We got this one, Blondie."

The two blondes looked at each other for a moment before Laxus pointed to his stomach. Lucy wanted to scold Laxus and say that even if she was pregnant, she could still haul Natsu's heavy ass around. However, she didn't want to make a scene and she knew deep down that the large Dragon Slayer was just trying to help her.

Everyone boarded the train as Laxus drug an unconscious Natsu on board. Lucy laughed when she saw Erza already telling the train attendant to bring around the sweets cart to them first and to make sure that there was plenty of strawberry cake available. She wanted to say something to Freed as she watched him and Bickslow carry their bags towards their private cabin, but she was unsure at what she should say. She felt like their teams were secretly watching them to see how they would interact and she felt like at any second Happy would smirk and say how Lucy likes Freed. All she could think about was maybe that this mission wasn't such a good idea.

After the girls went into their private cabin, Evergreen closed the compartment door behind them just as Lucy put her suitcase up above the seat. She loved sitting in private carts on trains, it always reminded her of her favorite stories. The romantic side of her was somewhat hoping that it would start raining, because there were few things that calmed her soul as much as watching rain out of a big glass window. Her mind was just racing and she couldn't slow it down. Everything was making her feel anxious and overwhelmed; overwhelmed with Gray leaving, worried about looking awkward at talking with Freed in front of their teams, and sad that her life was changing without her consent.

The three women got situated and Lucy was thankful that the two women with her were not dragon slayers because she was struggling to keep her breathing normal. Then sure enough the cart attendant came by first thing and the girls loaded up on just about everything that they could get their hands on. However, the silence didn't last long when Evergreen looked at her and said, "So Lucy, I heard that you are looking for a new place to live."

Erza didn't seem fazed by the question, but Lucy assumed it was because her friend was too invested in her cake. Lucy just nodded at Evergreen in response.

"I know it's none of my business," Evergreen added, "But why not just move in with Freed?"

Lucy took a deep breath, just as Erza started choking on her cake because the red head must have heard the question, before she looked out the window and replied, "I don't know. It would just be weird. I mean, he and I don't really know each other all that well. I know we are going to have a child together and all, but I just don't want to be a burden on him."

Evergreen studied the blonde woman who wouldn't make eye contact with her before she replied, "I can see your point; however, there are plenty of people in this world that end up moving in together because they are going to have a child together. Hell, some of those people were even one-night stand situations. You and Freed are different though. I can sympathize with it being a unique situation, but if you two are going to pretend to be dating—I don't think anyone would think that as being weird. Plus you are from the same guild, so it's not like he is a stranger."

Erza finally put her cake down to join in on the conversation and stated firmly, "I don't think Lucy should do anything she doesn't want to."

The Fairy Mage didn't seem fazed by Erza's interjection on what she thought was Lucy's behalf. Lucy thought about Evergreen's logic and had to admit that the woman had several good points before Evergreen added, "Plus, you two should probably start doing more things together anyways. You will need your stories to match for when people start asking questions. Freed is a really great guy and I think you will like him, if you give him a chance."

"I do like him," Lucy admitted too quickly and without thinking.

"What!?" Erza asked in surprise.

Then Lucy quickly stated, "I mean, I do think he is a great guy too and even though what happened to us really sucks—he makes it less scary. It's hard to explain."

Evergreen got a smug smile on her face as Erza contemplated what her friend had said, but then Lucy said, "But I don't want to ruin his future either."

"What do you mean?" Evergreen and Erza asked in unison. The two powerful women looked at each other and Lucy could have sworn that she saw sparks fly between their eyes. Evergreen and Erza were both Alpha females—that was for sure. Lucy was thankful for both women right then and for very different reasons. Erza was one of her best friends and she knew that she would always have her back, but sometimes she wished that her team wouldn't coddle her so much. If she was worried about one team more than the other, it would definitely be her own team. Getting her team to let her spend some time with Freed would be a challenge in itself. Evergreen on the other hand clearly had Freed's best interest at heart; however, she wasn't afraid to call things how she saw them. Lucy really needed Evergreen's honesty right now more than being smothered by Erza.

Lucy tried to fight the tears back when she admitted, "I mean…I am going to be stuck with this  _thing_. He doesn't have to be. What if he wants a family someday? Or wants to start dating someone? I don't want to be the woman who just lives in his house and raises his kid and watch as he falls in love with someone else."

"Lucy," Erza whispered because she was unsure as to what to say to console her friend.

However, Evergreen stood up and went to sit by Lucy who was now crying but still trying to hold it together. The Fairy Mage turned towards Lucy and stated firmly, "Lucy, I need you to look me in the eyes."

Most people would be afraid if Evergreen said that to them; however, Lucy wasn't but still begrudgingly agreed because she hated crying in front of people. Evergreen took Lucy's hand and said, "I never want you to think like that about my friend again, ok?"

"Evergreen," Erza stated in almost a threatening tone.

"Pipe down, Titania," Evergreen snapped back, "Lucy needs to hear this."

Lucy tried to wipe away some of her tears with her shoulder and said, "Erza, its ok. Let Evergreen finish."

Evergreen nodded before she continued, "Freed would never act like that. Yes, he didn't wish this upon himself just like you didn't wish this upon yourself. Just because he is not physically going to carry the baby like you, doesn't mean that he wasn't affected too. I know my friend and I know that he will do whatever he can to protect you, make your life comfortable, and to care for you. He wouldn't run off with some girl, because he didn't even show interest in girls before this. He is a demi-sexual so he isn't like the other horndogs in our guild. Freed is comfortable with himself and he will be comfortable with you."

Lucy felt terrible. She felt like a total selfish asshole. Then Evergreen added, "I also think you should stop calling your baby a 'thing.'"

Lucy flinched by Evergreen's honesty before the Fairy Mage continued, "You are a good, kind, and caring person—and so is Freed. Just because you are Light magic user and he is a Dark, or the fact that this baby was brought about by a terrible curse, doesn't make him or you bad and it doesn't mean the baby will be bad either."

"I know it doesn't," Lucy whispered.

"I don't think any child that you two have now or in the future would ever be evil—especially if it is raised by both of you," Evergreen added, "I think this baby will be the luckiest baby in the world and he or she doesn't even know it yet."

For the first time since Lucy had discovered that she had slept with Freed…she began to think about the gender of the baby—and the actual baby. Baby. Like a tiny little human with tiny little fingers and toes. A little baby that would play with her Spirits and run around a garden laughing and playing. A little baby that she would tuck in every night and read stories to, just like how her Momma used to read her stories.

Lucy couldn't hold back the sobs anymore. Erza sat in her seat shocked by Lucy's sudden outburst and Evergreen just let the blonde cry when Lucy uttered out, "Oh my god…I'm going to have a baby. Like an actual baby. Like a little girl or a little boy."

"Or both," Evergreen suggested with a smile.

"OH MY GOD, DON'T SAY THAT!" Lucy laughed in a joking way, "I'm just now coming to terms with the one—whatever he or she will be. I'm so sorry Evergreen. I've been so wrapped up in everything, that it is hard to put myself in Freed's shoes sometimes too."

"That is totally understandable," Evergreen smile. The Fairy Mage was relieved that Lucy was being so receptive to everything. She knew she could be a bitch, but the woman was so sick of seeing Lucy's team behaving the way they were. Lucy needed to face facts and she wasn't afraid to speak them.

Then Lucy looked at the two women and said, "But I don't know anything about babies, when do you find out certain things? Like how big is it now!? Or what the gender will be?"

"What are you, about a month pregnant now?" Evergreen asked.

"Yes," Lucy replied. She couldn't believe it had already been over a month.

"I think that is something like the size of a grain of rice," Evergreen shrugged, "In regards to the gender, I think that is like 18 weeks or something."

"A grain of rice is smaller than this strawberry," Erza stated as she gazed at the strawberry on her fork. Lucy and Evergreen both looked at the red haired woman who looked like was about to cry when she added, "Oh my god, I'm going to be an Aunt to a little boy or little girl who will love strawberry cake just like me."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh, because it seemed like things were finally starting to sink in and not be so scary. However, Lucy was very curious about something when she turned to Evergreen and asked, "How did you know about how big the baby would be?"

Evergreen snorted and replied, "Mira, that woman is baby crazy. She has kept it hidden from you but she already has a ton of baby presents for you and ideas on what the name should be."

"W-what!?" Lucy shouted nervously.

"Don't worry, Master told let you be," Evergreen said as she leaned back in the chair and opened up a box of chocolates.

The three women remained silent as they snacked on all of the food they bought. Lucy wanted to go to a book store Clover town and buy as many baby books as she could. Plus she needed to figure out what type of diet she should be on.

"Can I ask you something else?" Evergreen asked, breaking Lucy's concentration.

Lucy nodded before Evergreen continued, "Did everything go ok with Gray?"

Erza was the one that replied instead of Lucy, "He believes he needs to be on his own for a while and for what it is worth, I am sorry that he attacked Freed."

Evergreen shrugged and stated, "You don't need to apologize for someone else's actions. So where did he go?"

"He didn't say," Lucy admitted, "Just that he'd be gone a couple weeks to clear his head."

Evergreen snorted in disgust when she said, "Well according to Juvia, he really broke Cana's heart—fucking dumbass."

"What?" Lucy asked in shock. She didn't particularly like gossip, but she was dying to know what was happening between Gray and Cana. In Lucy's eyes, they were so perfect for each other.

"Apparently Cana went after Gray after the fight at the guild to ask him what his problem was. He admitted to her that he didn't know if he had feelings for you and that he had asked you to move in with him. Then something about how she defended us and our magic. Then Cana said she didn't want to be in a relationship with a man who was acting like a child," Evergreen finished just as she finished off her last piece of chocolate.

"Oh my god, poor Cana," Lucy whispered. She was going to go find the Card Mage as soon as she got back into Magnolia. She felt terrible. She had been so wrapped up in the drama of her own life that she barely knew what was going on with everyone else.

"Serves him right," Erza stated, "I am extremely disappointed in Gray's behavior. Cana should be wooed."

"Did you know he liked you?" Evergreen asked Lucy.

"No," Lucy admitted, "I just thought he was being too overprotective."

"I didn't know he liked you either," Erza confirmed, "But it does make sense."

Evergreen just nodded and nobody brought anything else up again about Gray. Lucy just hoped that whatever was going on with her friend would be resolved and he would come back home to Fairy Tail and make things right with Cana and Freed.

"So," Evergreen said with a smile, "Will you talk to Freed about moving in with him?"

Erza about dropped her cake when Lucy smiled back nervously and replied, "Sue, I'll talk to him later. But what if he doesn't want me to anymore? Is there even enough room in his house for all of us?"

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Evergreen replied and gave Lucy a kind nudge with her elbow.

Lucy took a deep breath as she thought about Freed's house. She really did love it when she had visited the other night. It was so warm and cozy. It was actually everything she was looking for, plus it was mature and reminded her of living in a comfortable library. However, what she noticed the most was how it was peaceful and that is what she needed. She bit her lip as she looked out the window, because she was slowing realizing that she was needing and wanting Freed more and more. She wanted to know things about him, like his past, his dreams, and his habits. She just hoped it wasn't too late or that he wouldn't reject her.

* * *

Freed stared out the train window across from Laxus, he could vaguely hear Happy chatting with Bickslow and his babies about fish.

The Rune Mage finally looked over when Bickslow asked Happy, "Dude, is he going to hurl?"

Laxus and Freed both looked at a green faced Natsu before Laxus replied, "He fucking better not."

Happy looked at his best friend before he stated, "Usually Natsu rests his head in Lucy's lap."

"That's where I'd like to rest my head too," Bickslow teased with a laugh.

Freed shot his friend a look which only made Bickslow laugh harder before the Seith Mage teased, "Don't go all dark mage on me, man. It was just a joke."

"He llllllllllllllikes her," Happy whispered to Bickslow.

"Likes her! Likes her!" Bickslow's babies chanted in agreement with Happy.

Freed then heard Laxus murmur, "Hmmm, interesting."

"What is?" Freed asked just as Happy was telling Bickslow that they should ask Erza to knock Natsu out again probably.

Laxus got a faint smile on his face before he put his earphones over his ears and replied, "Seems like you might be getting a new roommate after all."

Freed wasn't sure what Laxus meant by that, but he supposed he could ask later. Right now his main concern was keeping Lucy safe on this mission. He had no idea what would happen or if the spell would be triggered again, but he did know that he wouldn't let any harm come to her—even if he had to give into the darkness.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when they arrived in Clover town. While Erza was getting her luggage and Laxus dragging Natsu off of the train, Lucy couldn't help but noticed the dark clouds in the distance.

"How was your ride?" Freed came up beside her and asked.

Lucy smiled at him faintly before she replied, "It was fine. Yours?"

Then Freed and Lucy both heard Natsu finally hurl on the sidewalk before Freed replied, "It was interesting."

He looked over at Lucy who looked extremely pale before she covered her mouth and said, "I think I'm going to be sick." Then the blonde took off towards the restroom.

Freed looked stunned and confused when Evergreen said, "Morning sickness must be kicking in finally."

"Don't blame her," Bickslow laughed as he pointed at Natsu hurling, "My god, what did he eat?"

"But it's not morning," Happy stated as he floated next to Evergreen.

"Doesn't matter," Evergreen stated, "Lucy's nose and stomach will be extra sensitive now." Then the Fairy Mage turned towards Natsu and Bickslow and stated, "So you two, please try to be less disgusting than usual."

"Hey!" Bickslow and Natsu both stated in unison.

"Luce, hasn't thrown up like that before. It's not my fault," Natsu argued as he wiped his mouth.

"And don't lump me into the same category as him! At least I have table manners," Bickslow snorted.

"Evergreen is right," Erza stated, ending the boys' arguments, "Natsu, try and be more considerate of Lucy. Bickslow, I'm sure Evergreen meant your crude sense of humor."

"That's like asking them not to be themselves," Laxus grunted in response.

"Exactly," Evergreen smiled at the boys, before she gave Bickslow a playful push.

"Yeah, yeah," Bickslow grinned, "You guys are just lucky I like Cosplayer so much. I'll try to be less of a perv—for now. But man, Freed don't you know Lucy's tits will get even bigger?"

Freed look mortified at his friend's vulgarity, whereas Laxus tried not to laugh. However, Bickslow stopped laughing when he saw the threatening auras radiate off of Evergreen and Erza. Then Bickslow quickly said, "Sorry, I just had to get it out of my system."

"I still don't know what I'm doing wrong," Natsu stated in an oblivious manner toward Happy. The Blue Exceed just shrugged his shoulders in response.

Freed however was still concerned about Lucy, because she had not come out of the restroom yet. Laxus could tell that his friend was worried so he stated, "Bickslow and Ever, why don't you guys go find us a place to stay tonight while me and Team Natsu go speak to the client? Freed, you can wait here for Blondie. Bicks, call us on the lacrima once you find a place and we can all meet up there."

Freed nodded his thanks and everyone agreed to the plan before the others departed from the train station. The Rune Mage took a seat on one of the benches while he waited for his blonde companion. He hoped that she was all right.

* * *

It was a while before Lucy finally came out of the restroom. She felt so disgusting and wanted to go shower. She threw up things she didn't even know she had ate. How long would this last?

When she looked up, she saw Freed waiting for her on a bench with a book in his hand. She could barely stand up straight, because she felt so weak from getting sick—plus Freed was continuously giving her butterflies now. However, she found whatever courage she had and went and took a seat next to him.

He looked over and immediately closed his book and asked, "Lucy, are you all right?"

"Yeah," she replied with a faint smile, "Sorry about that."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Freed stated, "In fact, I feel sorry that you have to experience it. I wish I could trade places with you."

"We are both too polite sometimes, you know?" Lucy replied with a smile.

A gentle smile appeared across the Rune Mage's face before he agreed, "I believe you are correct."

"So where is everyone else?" Lucy asked in attempt to change the topic before her nerves came back. This was easy. Just the two of them having a normal conversation.

"Bickslow and Ever went to get us all rooms, they just called me on my lacrima a moment ago and told me that they found a little inn on the edge of town. Laxus and your team went to go meet with the client to gather more details," Freed informed her.

"Hmm," was all Lucy's response was at first. She didn't know if she should bring up their living situation now, while they were alone or wait until they get back to Magnolia. Then she realized she had the perfect Clover Town date when she asked, "Freed, do you know of any good book stores here?"

He blinked for a moment at her sudden change of topic before he replied, "Why yes, there is a tiny little shop near where our inn is located that is run by a pleasant man and his wife. I have often found some of the rarest books there. Is there a particular one that you are interested in?"

Lucy's face reddened a little when she admitted, "Well, I was kind of hoping to find some baby development books."

Freed took a deep breath before he agreed, "I was thinking the same thing last night."

"Really?" Lucy asked in shock.

"Why yes," Freed replied, "I want to be prepared for our child."

Lucy's heart skipped a beat at the words 'our child.' She looked into Freed's cool blue eyes before she whispered, "You're really amazing, you know that?"

Then it was her turn to see Freed blush when he replied, "Thank you, but why on earth would you think that?"

Lucy leaned back next to Freed on the bench when she admitted, "Evergreen and I talked a bit on the train. I just…I'm really sorry if I have done anything to offend you. You have done nothing but help me and I keep pushing you away because I couldn't come to terms with what has been happening, but I think I am getting there. So thank you for being patient with me."

Freed just smiled gently before he put his hand on her knee and replied, "There is nothing to be sorry for, but you are welcome."

"Thanks," Lucy replied quietly, "Also, if the offer is still open…I'd really like to move in with you for our baby's sake."

Lucy watched as Freed got a funny expression on his face for a moment before he corrected it and replied, "Of course, there is more than enough room."

The two were silent for a moment, because Lucy could tell that Freed was in deep thought about something before he finally asked, "Would you like me to show you that bookstore before we meet up with everyone?"

"Sure," Lucy replied with a smile. She could tell that something was off about him and she wasn't sure what it was that she said to make him go into such a pensive mood. However, she tried to not let it bother her and she supposed it would just take some time getting to know him. She was thankful when he offered to take her luggage as they made their way towards the bookstore that he spoke so highly of.

* * *

**In the woods outside of Clover Town…**

A group of men were starting to collect firewood as a man named Merlo was totaling up the plunders from the night before. The sun would soon start to set and they would make their way into Clover Town tonight under the protection of the storm that they were calling in. They were all dark mages and Merlo had never seen this many dark mages willing to work together before for a common goal—slowly strip away the worth of everyone who had ever made them feel like lesser beings because of the type of magic they possessed.

Merlo looked up from his record keeping when a tall man named Acius showed up in the clearing. Acius was one of the most sinister dark mages he had ever met. The man stood at least two feet taller than most men, he was brutish with tattoos with ancient dark spells written all over his body. Some were to paralyze his opponents, some were to poison them, and some would outright kill them. However Merlo noticed that Acius had been disappearing from their outings more and more recently. The only thing he could figure out was that Acius had taken a second job with some Lord.

Acius came to sit down by him, just as he had put a solid gold candle stick back into its case. Merlo looked up at the man and asked, "So, where were you off to?"

"None of your fucking business," Acius replied.

Merlo just shrugged his shoulders at Acius's cold reply before Merlo added, "I don't care that you disappear all the time or if you or off raping some girl. What I do care about is that you will be there tonight, we got word that some Fairy Tail Mages have shown up and I want to rob the town blind right out from under their noses."

Acius didn't reply at all. Merlo just sighed as he finished his inventory. Just as he stood up, a bolt of lightning went streaking across the sky and Merlo watched as every man present dropped what they were doing and Acius stood up and asked between clenched teeth, "Do you smell that?"

Every man's eyes turned black when Merlo replied, "It smells like apples and honey."

"Not it," Acius replied, "She…" Then Merlo felt fear for the first time in a long time when one of Acius's tattoos that was in the shape of a raven came off his body. Acius held onto the bird and whispered, "Find her."

Merlo didn't know why, but he knew that tonight was no longer about jewels or what they could take. It was about finding this woman and making her theirs.


	13. Chapter 13

Lucy and Freed walked out of the bookstore together, with a large tote bag full of books that Freed also offered to carry. He was keeping a close eye on the sky because the dark clouds seemed to be getting closer and closer to Clover Town. He definitely wanted to ask Laxus about it once they reached the inn. He didn't like the idea of Dark Mages being so close and then a terrible storm hitting. He also began to wonder about the room arrangements. He didn't know if he was being over protective but the idea of Lucy being in another room was even bothering him. What if it was too far away when something happened? He felt frustrated. He knew on the outside he usually came across as a very stoic individual, but nobody besides Laxus really knew how fast his mind worked. He had a habit of often jumping to one conclusion to another. Especially with everything that had happened the past month. He was torn between a spell that made him lose control, but also wanting to get to know the woman better who had been trapped into this spell with him.

He glanced over at his pretend girlfriend and noticed how she was already looking in one of the development books before she broke his concentration and said, "Freed, Evergreen was right—the baby is the size of a grain of rice right now."

The two were approaching the inn when he suddenly stopped walking. He assumed that all of their guild mates were now in the inn. A smile touched his lips at the image of Lucy still reading every line that she could soak in. He was impressed that she was aware enough of her surroundings to notice that he had stopped walking—so she did too. Then a frown befell upon him because maybe that wasn't her…maybe it was just the spell drawing them closer together. Either way, he would fight the spell because he knew in his soul that he wanted to get to know her.

He cleared his throat and asked, "Lucy, I was wondering if tonight if you and I could have our first date?"

"Eh?" Lucy eeped as a deep crimson color coated her face.

Freed noticed Lucy's blush, but misinterpreted it, before he replied in a defeated tone, "I'm sorry if that was inappropriate—I understand that we are not a real couple."

Lucy's eyes widened in realization that he had misunderstood why she was caught off guard so she quickly shut the book and sputtered out, "N-no! It u-umm…it isn't like that! That would be really nice."

Freed studied the blonde for a moment and watched as her cheeks reddened even more, he'd be lying to himself if it did not stir something inside of him. He admired how strong the woman next to him was, not only her magical ability but her general spirit. She wasn't a quitter; that was for sure. Yet he couldn't help but remember how submissive she was to him under the influence of the spell. He wondered if she would be like that without that influence. He wanted to groan when he remembered how responsive she was to just his touch. She was beyond fascinating to him. Everything from her brain to her voluptuous body.

He cleared his throat and replied in as calm as tone as he could muster, "Excellent, I will make all of the arrangements. We should probably catch up with our team though and find out what Laxus and Erza found out from the client."

Lucy nodded her head in agreement before the two entered the inn together. Freed watched Lucy's expression as they entered and couldn't help but smile a little when her face lit up at the coziness of the inn.

"Wow," she said in an excited awe, "This is sooooo much nicer than the places my team usually gets to stay at."

"Well I know my team doesn't have a habit of destroying buildings, so we can afford to splurge a little," Freed replied in an amused tone.

Lucy just let out an amused sigh of agreement before the two saw Laxus sitting by the fireplace in the inn's lobby. The two walked over to meet him and Freed noticed that his friend had a scowl on his face. To the common eye, most people thought Laxus scowled all of the time; however, Freed could tell the difference between the different versions of what Evergreen calls Laxus's 'Resting Bitch Faces.'

The Dragon Slayer looked at the awkward couple before he held up two room keys and said, "You two are sharing a room."

Laxus's scowl turned into a downright evil grin when Lucy's face turned redder than Erza's hair and she stuttered out, "W-what?"

"It shouldn't be that much of a shock, Blondie," Laxus teased, "After all—you two  _ **are**_  a couple. Plus, I saw you ogling him the other day in the guild. Don't deny how much you want him."

Lucy eeped at Laxus's comment and even Freed's face turned a lighter shade of red. The Dragon Slayer just began to chuckle more when he handed Lucy her key. She grabbed it from him and just scowled at the infuriating man before she asked, "What about Erza and Natsu?"

Laxus leaned back and rested his hands behind his head and replied, "Evergreen and Erza are sharing a room; Bickslow, Natsu, and Happy are sharing a room—and I have my own. They actually all went to go grab something to eat."

Lucy just rolled her eyes, because of course Laxus wouldn't share a room with anyone. Laxus saw the judgement on Lucy's face and defended himself, "There wasn't a big enough bed for me to sleep in in the larger room for all the guys, Blondie!"

The comment just made Lucy laugh at the large Dragon Slayer before she replied, "Yeah, yeah." She looked at the room number and smiled at Freed and said, "I'll see you upstairs."

Freed just nodded and let Lucy take her suitcase back. His eyes never left her as she made her way up the staircase towards their room. He took a deep breath in before he turned around to see an amused look on his best friend's face. "What's with your grin?" Freed asked as he came around to sit in a large backed chair next to Laxus.

"Oh, just how cute you two are," Laxus grinned, "Did any interesting conversations take place while you two were out shopping?"

Laxus nodded towards the tote bag full of books that Freed had sat down next to him before he admitted, "She agreed to move in with me."

Laxus nodded in agreement since he had heard Lucy say that she was going to on the train. Then Freed added, "I am going to take her out tonight, if it doesn't interfere with any plans of the mission."

The Dragon Slayer's scowl returned when he said, "No, I think that would be best if you guys did that. I don't think you should be far from Lucy which is why I told the team that there would be no arguments about you two staying in a room together."

"Laxus," Freed stated in a serious tone, "We have been friends for a very long time and I know when something is up. What is it?"

The blonde man leaned forward and let out a heavy sigh before he replied, "When Erza, Natsu, Happy, and I went to talk with the client—I found out some pretty disturbing news."

Freed just nodded and waited for Laxus to continue, "The client said that the bandits have hit a lot of the smaller towns near here. He isn't sure where their den is, but one of the townsfolk said that they saw someone suspicious about two days ago."

"Did they recognize them?" Freed asked.

Laxus shook his head no, "The client and the person have no idea who they had described to us, which is probably good for them, because the whole town would probably be evacuating. Luckily Erza and Natsu didn't seem to recognize the description of the man either, but I did—it's Acius."

Freed felt the blood in his veins freeze over before he replied, "Are you sure?"

"Without a doubt," Laxus sighed, "I told Bickslow and Evergreen once we met back up, so they know to be on high alert."

Freed knew just how concerned Laxus was. Makarov liked keeping tabs on Ivan's whereabouts and people he might correspond with. Although they had never ran into Acius themselves, Freed remembered reading the detailed reports from when they were trapped in the Fairy Sphere about the horrific things that the maned named Acius did. Entire villages had been burned, children tortured, men mutilated, women raped or sold to sex traffickers. There were times when his team tried to find the man, just to bring him to justice, but it was almost as if he could disappear without a trace for years then suddenly pop back up. If this man was close, he could trigger the spell.

Laxus saw the worried look on Freed's face when he added, "Freed, the storm is moving in faster than I thought and it doesn't feel natural. I don't think it would be wise for you to leave Lucy's side at all tonight. Evergreen is going to stay here, but Bickslow and I are going to sneak out after it gets dark to see if we can find the bandits location. If Acius is with them, then I am going to take him out fast."

"I should be helping too, or Erza and Natsu can help you," Freed argued.

"You will be helping by keeping Blondie safe," Laxus stated firmly, "That is your job now."

Freed felt horrible because of Laxus's response and the Dragon Slayer realized he might have come across too harsh before he added, "I just meant, nobody can protect her better than you. If he sneaks into town then I know only you will be able to stop him. For all we know, Lucy will go into a trance and not be able to defend herself. I don't want to worry Lucy or her team until we know more. Plus, if the bandits do come then you will need Erza's and Natsu's help, so you can take out Acius, and they can protect the town."

Freed nodded in agreement and added, "It probably isn't wise take Lucy on a date tonight then."

"A date?!" Laxus said a little too excited, "Hell yeah you are taking her!"

"What?" Freed asked in confusion, "With everything going on? It will probably be very unwise."

Laxus shook his head no and replied, "As the leader of our team, I give you the order of taking Blondie out on your first date."

Freed sat in a stunned silence before Laxus continued, "Buddy, as you said before, we have been friends a long time. You have been miserable the past month and Blondie seems to make you happy and I have a pretty good hunch that you make her happy too. Besides, we don't know if anything will even happen tonight, I just wanted to take extra precautions and end it before anything happens. You and Lucy both need this and you should stop being so stubborn, stop overthinking and over analyzing the situation and just go for her, man. With or without the spell, you guys are pretty cute together. Although…she does dress a little more risqué then a girl I think you would normally go for, but I know _I_  would never personally complain about how a little a girl wants to wear."

The Rune Mage had never 'just gone for someone' so he wasn't sure as to how to proceed. Was he even Lucy's type? Then the realization hit him that maybe she had only agreed to go on a date with him because he would be the Father of the child.

"Dude!" Laxus interrupted and snapped his fingers in front of Freed's face, "I told you to stop overthinking and over analyzing."

Freed couldn't help but chuckle a little and replied, "It is just my nature."

"I know, buddy," Laxus said with an amused tone, "But really, try not to overthink it. I wouldn't have made that comment about Blondie ogling you if there wasn't some truth to it."

"Very well then," Freed said in a slightly flustered tone as he grabbed the tote of books and replied, "I suppose I better go put my stuff away."

Laxus just began to chuckle as Freed walked away and the Rune Mage heard his best friend say, "Hope you get laid tonight!"

* * *

Lucy stood nervously in the bathroom that she and Freed were sharing. After she had put away her things, Freed had returned to their room. She thought he was adorable at how flustered he almost seemed. She always thought Freed as one of the more mature members of Fairy Tail and it was fun seeing a different side to him that probably not many people ever saw.

They had agreed to go grab some dinner soon and she was glad that she was feeling better, but hoped that she wouldn't get sick again while they were out. She started second guessing that perhaps they should have brought Wendy on this mission with them.

As she stood getting ready in the bathroom, she began to question what she should wear. She knew it was a date, but was a real date? Was he just taking her out because she was the mother of his unborn child? Was it just to make sure that their story of being a couple more believable? She just didn't know…and that was starting to piss her off. She looked in the mirror and huffed. She be damned if she let some stupid spell ruin her fun tonight. She was about to go out on a date with an exquisitely attractive man that gave her the hottest wet dream she had ever had. Plus it wasn't just a dream, those two hot sexy nights actually happened! She wanted to know if they could happen again without any magical influence—especially when she thought about how dominating Freed was. She hoped he was like that all the time in the bedroom. She loved the idea of giving herself to someone and trusting them completely to do with her as they will.

Lucy got a devious smile on her face and shook her scattered thoughts away, because tonight she was determined to have some fun.

* * *

Freed sat in one of the arm chairs that was in their room. He couldn't help but shake his head because Laxus must have picked out this room for them, because it was clearly a room designed for couples. There was a gorgeous stone fireplace in the middle of the room, a large canopy bed, a Jacuzzi tub on the other side of the room, and large glass windows that led out to a balcony that faced the woods. The room also had adjustable lights to set the mood for just about anything. However, Freed found it very difficult to think about romance when he was worried about the possibility of Acius lurking near Lucy. He kept trying to take deep calming breaths and just enjoy the evening with Lucy.

However, the Rune Mage's mind quickly snapped into focus when Lucy walked out of the bathroom. He could feel the darkness in him well up as he eyed the woman across the room from him from the bottom up. There Lucy stood before him in thigh high black boots with light black stockings on underneath a skin tight, black turtle neck dress with a wine red, boyfriend length, crotched cardigan. Her long golden hair was down and practically shining. It seemed to match her long gold necklace that had a little gold leaf on the end that only accentuated her large breasts even more. His first instinct was to run his hands up her thighs under the dress to see if she would be just as submissive to him now as she was before. Those tights were driving him crazy, especially with the modest dress (well modest for Lucy) that she was wearing. He knew exactly what she looked like now underneath all those clothes and he didn't want any man to see what was his.

"Freed," Lucy whispered in almost a moaned voice, "Are you ready to go?"

His blue eyes met her chocolate ones and he found himself no longer sitting in his chair, but across the room and standing right in front of her, because she was biting her bottom lip—not out of nerves, but out of clear amusement by his reaction to her appearance. Then before he could overthink what he was about to say, he blurted out, "You look absolutely divine, tonight."

He felt his chest swell with pride when she got a coy smile on her face and replied, "Thank you, Freed. You look very handsome yourself."

Freed let out a slight chuckle, because he wasn't wearing anything different than he normally did. Yet still—he was extremely happy that Lucy enjoyed his appearance. He reached out his arm for her and stated, "If I may, I would love to take you on our first of many dates."

Lucy gave him a bright smile back, because she was just going to live in the moment and replied, "You may."

However, the couple both failed to notice the large raven that had landed on the balcony outside of their room before it took off and flew high into the night's sky.

* * *

As the two were walking towards the restaurant, rain had finally started to fall on Clover Town. Freed kept a close eye on the sky and he figured that by the time they were done with their evening, they would already be back at the inn before the storm really hit. He loved how Lucy appreciated his rune spell to keep the rain off of them as the strolled through the town.

"Lucy," Freed said in a soft tone, "What type of food sounds good to you. We can eat anywhere, but I wanted to be especially considerate since you were not feeling well earlier today."

Lucy smiled back and him and replied, "I appreciate that, but I am feeling ok right now. Actually ANYTHING sounds good." The truth is, she just wanted food. She didn't know if it was the pregnancy but she felt as hungry as a bear and wanted to rip into some food—fast. But despite her deep hunger, she was greatly enjoying walking arm in arm with Freed. Not only was he using his runes to keep her dry, she noticed that he was using them to keep the chill away from them too.

"Well, if you are up for trying things, there is a delicious little family run Thai food restaurant with some of the best curry I have ever eaten," Freed suggested.

"I love Thai," Lucy said a little too quickly, only because her hunger was probably starting to show.

"Excellent," Freed replied as they turned down a narrower street and added, "I try to come her as often as possible when we are in the area. I discovered it actually before we all went to Tenroujima and was very happy to discover that it was still open upon our return. Although, the Father that had originally opened it had passed away, but his son and his wife now run it."

Lucy just listened in a content silence. She rarely saw Freed speak much on…well anything really. It was refreshing to see him talk about something as normal as Thai food. In fact, the whole evening so far was making her beyond happy. It was like she could forget, for just awhile, that they had been forced into this together. Instead, they were both just enjoying being with each other—stress free.

However, the blonde got a playful smile on her face when she stated, "You don't seem like you would like Thai food."

Freed looked down at Lucy, who was smiling up at him, before he asked, "Why ever not?"

He watched as she got a thoughtful expression on her face before she answered, "You seem like you would enjoy French or Italian food more. It is more regal—like you."

The last comment of Lucy's made Freed chuckle before he stated, "Well, I do love a good Beef Bourguignon or a Linguine with shrimp, but there is something about the spice from Thai food that I find liberating."

"Do you mean spice as in 'Yum, that dish has excellent flavorings,' or spice as in 'Yowza that's spicy!?'" Lucy laughed.

Freed began to chuckle at Lucy's descriptive questions, before he answered in a playful tone, "Yum, that dish has excellent flavorings."

Lucy couldn't stop laughing at Freed's playfulness. She had no idea that he had this side to him at all. Plus, there was something about it that made her feel incredibly special. Chances are, he did not show this side to too many people—yet he was showing it to her and that made all the difference to her.

"Here we are," Freed stated as they appeared before a tiny, almost house-like, building.

Lucy was afraid her stomach was about to growl so she grabbed Freed's arm tightly and hurried into the building. As soon as they walked inside, the smell of the delicious food hit her like a brick wall and she was relieved that it did not nauseate her. In fact…it made her hungrier.

"Mr. Freed!" a man called out to him.

"Mr. Ananada, it is a pleasure to see you," Freed replied with a warm smile.

Lucy noticed how Freed still seemed relaxed, but his walls went back up again now that they were around someone again.

"Lucy, this is Mr. Ananada, the owner of the restaurant," Freed stated, "Mr. Ananada, this is Lucy, my girlfriend."

The owner of the restaurant's eyes lit up as he looked back and forth between her and Freed before he replied, "Mr. Freed! You have never brought another person here besides that big, brutish Laxus. I have to go get Achara from the back. She will want to meet her!"

Lucy couldn't help but let out an amused laugh about the owner's comment about Laxus, but she couldn't help but feel a little giddy too at how smoothly Freed said 'my girlfriend.' However, she had to shuffle a little bit because Freed's comment also made her womanhood ache with need. Maybe it was because he was claiming her as his again, just like the night when Rogue tried to take her away, or maybe it was because Freed wasn't ashamed to say it. Either way, she was excited.

While the owner was in the back, getting his wife, Freed pointed out a spot to sit near the window so that they could watch the storm roll in. The restaurant was quaint, but lovely. The gold tablecloths looked so luxurious by the candlelight that lit the restaurant. Plus they had the restaurant all to themselves, which was incredibly romantic, especially with the soft stringed instrumental music playing in the background.

As soon as they were seated, Achara came out and yelled Freed's name too and came over to introduce herself to Lucy. Lucy just watched as Freed exchanged pleasantries with the owners and they admitted to him that they were having a slow night because of the storm that would soon hit, plus the word about bandits in the woods had gotten out and people were afraid to leave their homes. Lucy admired how well respected Freed was with the family, because Ananada knew that since Freed was here then it must mean that Clover Town would be kept safe.

After the two gave them menus to look over, they quickly disappeared back into the kitchen and Lucy noticed how Achara seemed to be giggling the whole time and looking back and forth between Lucy and Freed.

"So what do you recommend?" Lucy asked Freed as she studied her menu.

"My favorite dish is the Red Curry with Shrimp, but the Tom Kha Kai is excellent as well," Freed replied before he asked, "Would you like some steamed dumplings as an appetizer?"

"Yes," Lucy said quickly, because her hunger was growing and growing by the second before she said in a sad tone, "Damn."

"What is it?" Freed asked with concern by Lucy's sudden disappointed tone.

He watched in surprise as she laughed, before she sat her menu down, crossed her hands under her chin and gazed at him before she replied, "I decided you will just have to bring me back her after we have our child, because that Mai Thai drink looks damn delicious and I can't drink it right now. Supposedly, it is their strongest drink too."

Freed couldn't help but laugh at Lucy's reasons, but he could also feel his instincts kick in and was grateful that he wore a long coat that covered his manhood. Hearing Lucy say 'our child' stirred something almost animalistic inside of him. Plus, she was obviously thinking about them being together after the child's birth, which turned him on even more. He leaned in a little and looked into her sweet, brown eyes and replied, "I will take you anywhere you want to go, Lucy."

Lucy's face heated up and thankfully the owner came back and placed two ice waters in front of them that Lucy quickly began to guzzle down to appease the burning desire within her.

"Do you two know what you would like to eat yet?" Ananada asked with a smile, "Mr. Freed, I assume you would like the Red Curry with Shrimp with a level two heat?"

"Yes, please," Freed replied, "With an appetizer of the steamed dumplings too."

"Excellent choice," Ananada added, "And what would Mr. Freed's girlfriend, Ms. Lucy, like?"

Lucy blushed at how Ananada threw in the comment about Lucy being Freed's girlfriend before she asked, "What is the max on the heat level?"

"A five," Ananada replied, "And it is  _extremely_  hot."

"Hmmmm," Lucy thought for a moment before she ordered, "I would like the Tom Kha Kai with Shrimp and a level three for me too, please."

"Excellent," Ananada replied before he took their menus and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

Lucy and Freed both smiled at each other shyly before Lucy said, "I wish I could have seen the look on my team's face when Laxus told them we would be sharing a room."

Freed smiled at the comment before he asked, "Are they getting better with everything that has happened?"

Lucy took a deep breath, "I think so. I haven't told Natsu yet that we will be moving in together, but Erza seems to be ok with it. I think they just want me to be as happy as I can be."

Freed nodded in agreement before he saw a frown set on Lucy's face. He wondered if she was thinking about Gray. He felt terrible for how things had transpired between them and the truth was, he just wanted Lucy to be happy too. However, he didn't want to bring the animosity that Gray had caused on their first date, so Freed changed the subject with, "Lucy, thank you for going on this date with me."

He watched as Lucy quickly became flustered again before she replied, "Thank you for asking me. It was very thoughtful of you."

Freed took a deep breath in when he heard Laxus's command echoing in his ear at just go for her. He knew it wasn't just the spell anymore, because the spell had only activated less than a handful of times. He genuinely wanted her. However, he knew that ever since the spell had activated he had become a little bolder and to him that was one of the silver linings with their situation, so he added, "Believe me when I say, I want this to work and I want to take you on many more dates. You inspire me and I want to get to know you like no one else ever has."

Lucy gulped in response just as Ananada came back out with their steamed dumplings and sat the plate down in front of them and said, "Enjoy!" before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"I'd like that too," Lucy replied with a shy smile because now she knew without a doubt that Freed was a very dominant person—whether in the bedroom or not…and she liked it.

* * *

Lucy loved her first date with Freed. She enjoyed their deep conversations about books, films, and philosophies. Plus she loved at how patient he was and how easy it was to laugh with him. They soon discovered that her taste buds were quickly changing, because a level three didn't seem to be hot enough for her; however, she totally believed Freed when he assured her that there was plenty heat in her soup. However, the owner had no problem adding in extra heat to kick it up over a level five. She had a feeling that she could possibly give Natsu a run for his money with the level of heat she put in her soup. She just played it off as pregnancy hungers.

After Freed had paid the bill, but not before Lucy noticed the insanely generous tip that Freed had left the owners, the two walked arm in arm again back to the inn. They had sat in that restaurant for hours, just enjoying each other's company. Lucy didn't want the night to end, but they both agreed that they should get back to the room because the wind had started to pick up and lightning and thunder seemed to be coming in faster from the distance.

Just before they reached the inn, Freed stopped walking and turned to Lucy and said, "Lucy, I wanted you to know that I had one of the best nights of my entire life tonight."

"Freed," Lucy replied with a deep blush on her face before she swallowed and added, "Me too. It was a lot of fun."

Freed gave himself a quick mental pep talk before he asked in a lowered tone, "May I kiss you?"

Lucy's chest was heaving from excited nerves as she breathily replied, "Please."

She saw him give her an almost devilish smirk as his thumb pressed her chin up, instantly soaking what was left of her black lace panties, and began to lean in. However, both of them froze in fear when a large raven appeared next to them and screams began to echo throughout Clover Town.

Freed felt his darkness grip him when Lucy's eyes widened in fear and she whispered, "Freed, I can feel all of them. Dark Mages are everywhere."

Both of Freed's eyes began to glow purple just as Erza, Evergreen, Natsu, and Happy ran out of the inn. He looked at Lucy who nervously readied her keys. He could tell that his other guild mates were scared by his transformation, but not Lucy. Her hands were shaking in fear as she whispered to him, "Freed, they are coming for me."


	14. Chapter 14

The raven that was next to them squawked again and its eyes began to glow a dark green color before a voice whispered in the night,  _"Come with me."_

"Lucy, no!" Erza yelled as her blonde friend took a step towards the raven.

Natsu tried to blast the raven with a bolt of fire; however, the raven easily dodged the assault and Natsu's fireball went straight into a cart full of cabbages. Luckily nothing caught on fire too bad, before it was extinguished from all of the rain.

The raven once again came at Lucy, but this time Freed trapped the bird in an array of unbreakable runes. The bird squawked and wailed in misery as it banged its body against the runes to try and free itself. Then the bird turned towards Freed and everyone heard a voice say,  _"You are nothing compared to my Master who comes for the girl."_

Lucy's body began to shake in fear, but Freed stood in front of her and pointed his sword in front of the bird and said in a monotone voice, "Obliterate."

Everyone heard the bird squawk in agony before it exploded and feathers went everywhere inside of the runes that were still up.

Natsu stood next to Lucy and said to Freed in a serious tone, "I can smell them surrounding us, I trust that you will take care of her."

Freed looked at his guild mates and they all saw that Lucy was unable to move. The amount of dark mages around was probably incapacitating her ability to use magic. He was surprised that Loke or Virgo couldn't push their gates open. It is something he would have to research later, right now his job was to protect the woman he was falling in love with. Also, he was a little surprised that the Dragon Slayer didn't throw a normal tantrum like he usually does when it comes to Lucy.

Then Natsu added, "I know that you would never intentionally hurt Gray, because you are nakama. I can also smell nothing but power coming off of you and it is a lot stronger than the dark mages that are heading this way. I trust you with her."

Freed looked at Natsu and replied, "I will protect her with my life."

Natsu nodded his head and looked at Erza and Evergreen and said, "We have to give Freed the best chance to protect, Lucy."

Erza looked at Freed and nodded that she would go along with the plan before she said, "Natsu, send a fireball up into the sky—Laxus and Bickslow will hopefully be close enough to see the signal that we need back-up."

"Aye sir!" Natsu called as Happy grabbed Natsu and began to take off into the sky.

"Freed," Erza stated in a serious voice as she reequipped into her Black Wing Armor, "Take care of my best friend."

Freed nodded in understanding just as Evergreen gave him a smile and said, "We will meet back up with you guys later. Get her out of here!"

Just as Evergreen flew off, Freed made his own wings appear and grabbed Lucy bridal style. He was amazed at how alert his senses were when he took off into the sky. He knew that bird had to come from someone and that someone was probably a lot stronger than the minions that Natsu, Erza, and Evergreen were taking care of.

As he flew towards the forest he began to see that the effects of the dark mages was starting to wear off on Lucy, he looked at her and asked, "Do you still feel them?"

She took a deep breath and replied, "Not as much as before, but I still feel someone besides you. Where are we going?"

Freed's brows furrowed together, because he was afraid that Lucy was going to say that. He had to come up with a plan and fast. "There is an abandoned cottage not far in the woods, we will be going there because we are being hunted," Freed replied darkly.

"Hunted?" Lucy whispered as she held onto Freed tighter.

"The person who sent the raven won't be deterred by our guild mates, he will find you and I'd rather fight him one on one than in the middle of a town where all of the other weaker mages are. You will not leave my sight or my side," Freed stated in a firm tone that made Lucy feel a little weak in the knees. She had no idea what the hell was getting into her, a bunch of dark mages were coming for her but she felt fine in Freed's arms and started thinking about jumping his bones. She just chalked it up to pregnancy hormones.

She took a deep breath as they began to descend into the woods and she asked, "Isn't their camp out here somewhere?"

Freed sat Lucy down on the ground after he landed and started putting up hundreds of runes, it reminded her of the night that they were enchanted in the palace. After he was finished he replied, "I have a feeling that they will all be in the town by now, or Laxus has dealt with them. This man that is coming for you will not be able to cross these runes and I have enchanted them so that you can't leave them either."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lucy asked because she was feeling a little helpless and useless.

"Can you try calling Loke or Virgo out?" Freed asked, "I want to test a theory."

Lucy nodded in understanding and tried to summon out both of her friends. Noting happened. "Shit," she murmured.

Freed looked like he was deducing the reasons in his head when they heard a branch crack underneath the weight of something. The green haired mage looked at her, his eyes were both still purple when he stated, "You are mine and I will protect you."

Her face instantly flushed and all she could do was nod in response as Freed turned around to face the tall man that just stepped out of the shadows of the trees. Lucy hoped that Freed's eyesight was better than hers because the rain had not let up and she could barely see anything. As he got closer, she could see that there were tattoos and spells written all over his body and blood was dripping from a blank area on his body.

Freed readied his sword and stated, "I take it the raven belonged to you."

The man's eyes began to glow green in response before he replied, "So you are the piece of shit that hurt my little friend. Who the fuck are you? You look oddly familiar."

When Freed didn't respond, the man turned his gaze towards Lucy, "Come my little pet, I am going to have lots of fun with you."

Lucy felt a crippling pain go throughout her body that instantly dropped her to her knees. The man smirked, but not for long because Freed sent an array of spells at the man and muttered, "Pain."

The man didn't react fast enough as Freed's spells hit him smack in the chest and began to penetrate his skin. As the man was screaming he began to chant and several poisonous snakes began to free themselves from the tattoos on is body. He looked at Freed as he spat blood out of his mouth and said, "She will be mine. Even if I have to take her after I step over your dead corpse to do so."

Lucy watched in awe as Freed didn't even seem fazed by the threat. Instead he sent down more runes at the man's feet, instantly igniting the snakes into a greenish flames. She covered her ears at the sound of the snakes hissing in agony and the man that had now fallen to his knees clutching his sides where the snakes came out of. Blood was everywhere on him and Lucy realized that he must suffer every time someone defeats the spell that was on his body; first the raven, now the snakes.

"Nobody has ever defeated me," the man hissed at Freed, before he muttered a spell that cauterized the wound on his side. Then the evil man got a smirk on his face before he said, "I do know you, kind of…you are Lord Justine's little piece of shit."

Lucy looked at Freed who looked like he had been caught off guard as the man continued with a grin, "I guess I can't kill my boss's kid, I'll just drag your ass back to his castle and have fun with your girlfriend along the way."

She then heard the man start to chant violently as several red circles of light appeared around the clearing and Succubae and other various demons came forth. The man looked at Lucy and said, "Deal with the man, but don't kill. However, the girl is mine."

Lucy felt so unbelievably useless and she wished that she could use her magic as she watched Freed fight off the horde of demons. Then her eyes widened in fear as the tattooed man came closer to her and said, "Start stripping."

She felt crippling pain sear through her body again as the barbaric spell tried to force her to do the Dark Mage's bidding. Then Freed sent up chains from one of his runes that wrapped around the man's mouth before he said, "Lucy, stay with me and stay clothed."

She could feel the spell change to Freed's command just before one of the Succubae landed in front of where Freed put up his runes. The she-demon creature screeched in agony when she realized that she could not break through the barrier to get to her.

Lucy was panting wildly from all of the dark magic everywhere—she needed this to end soon because she felt like she was going to pass out. Then she locked eyes with the Succubus that was trying to break through the barrier and Lucy felt like time froze. The Succubus's eyes that were once glowing red, changed color to what appeared to be normal looking eyes. It was as though the spell that had been put on her had stopped when she studied Lucy carefully before she looked at Lucy's stomach.

Something inside of Lucy resonated when she covered her stomach protectively. Then the woman spoke out in a warm voice and said, "I will not harm you or your young."

However, she didn't have time to register what the woman had said when she saw the tattooed man break free from Freed's runes and yelled at the Succubus before her, "I COMMAND YOU TO CAPTURE HIM! THE GIRL IS MINE!"

The Succubus kept her eyes on Lucy but pointed at Freed who had destroyed the rest of the Succubae and demons and was now turning his attention back on the man that hunted Lucy and asked, "Is that man your mate? The one that killed my comrades?"

"He and I are bound together and he is the father of my child," Lucy admitted freely. She had no idea why she had spoken so honestly to the female demon.

Freed was eyeing both the Succubus and the man, but then the Succubus turned towards the tattooed man and spoke, "You placed a spell on me and my family that got them killed. However, this woman's young just broke me free of it. If you ever summon me or any of my kin again. I will kill you."

Then the woman disappeared before them.

"Fuck," spat the man as another wound busted from his flesh. Then he faced off against Freed and snarled out, "I guess Lord Justine will just have to deal with a dead son—but that girl is going to be my new little fuck toy." Then the man began to utter something old and ancient as his eyes began to glow an eerie green color.

"Freed!" Lucy screamed out as the ground around them became the same color of green as the man's eyes.

The man began to laugh maniacally; however, Freed pointed his sword down at the ground and whispered something that Lucy could not make out. Then he pointed his sword at the man and the green spell that was about to hit Freed changed directions and hit the man so hard it sent him flying backwards into a tree.

Lucy remained frozen and even afraid to breath. Then her eyes widened as the man tried to stand. "How is he still alive?" Lucy whispered towards Freed.

"Because I allowed it," Freed replied as he walked towards the man. The Rune Mage stopped before the man who was muttering incoherently and bleeding everywhere before Freed stated, "You will never lay a finger on what is mine and as a punishment, you will be made to answer for your crimes." Then he pointed his sword at him and said, "Sleep."

Lucy watched as the man went limp and fell into a deep slumber. The runes around her disappeared as Freed wrote new ones around the sleeping prisoner. "What are you going to do with him?" Lucy asked.

"Let the Rune Knights take care of him," Freed replied before he added, "I do not know if it is safe to go back into town yet. So we will wait inside of the cottage for now."

Lucy nodded in agreement just as Freed stood before her, as they looked at each other his eyes finally returned to their normal blue color. She gave him a gentle smile before she said, "Thank you for protecting me."

He gave her a gentle smile back before he replied, "Of course, I gave you my word that I would always be there."

She noticed that the rain was still falling down around them, but never on them. He had managed to keep the rune spell over them throughout the entire fight, in addition to protecting her. There was something about him that made her heart ache with happiness. Then she felt such an intense pain in her stomach that made her collapse to the ground and scream.

"Lucy!" Freed cried out as he bent down to check on her.

"Oh Freed," Lucy cried. She could tell that there was nothing wrong with the baby—it was something else. Her body began to shake and pain seared through her nervous system. Then she realized what was happening when she whispered out, "Oh god Freed, make it stop—just like the night you did at the ball—this time it hurts more."

Freed's eyes grew wide in realization at what Lucy was asking him, and then his darkness answered to his lover's pleas and one more his eyes changed color. He wasted no time as he picked Lucy up and carried her towards the cottage.

He could tell that the moment he touched her, her body already began to relax and she began to mewl in his arms as her tongue snaked up the side of his neck. "Fuck," he heavily swore out. He was angry that the magic was going to force them to join beds once more. He didn't want it to be this way, he wanted it to be his choice and treat Lucy like the lady she deserved.

"Freed, I need you in me," Lucy moaned. She felt guilty that this was happening again, but she couldn't control herself. She felt like she was going to die if he wasn't in her soon.

In a few strides, Freed had burst down the cottage door and sat Lucy down on her feet—both finally giving over to the magic at play. The room they had entered was old, but had been maintained by someone. Freed looked around the room and saw a large high-back chair. He sat his sword down next to an umbrella stand and went and took a seat in the chair.

Lucy felt glued to where she stood, awaiting her master's orders, before he finally spoke to her, "Come stand before me."

She immediately obeyed as she went and stood in front of the Father of her child. His eyes were the only thing that shown in the room. However, a frown fell upon his face when he stated, "I want to see all of you." Then he pointed his finger at the fireplace and uttered a spell that set the logs ablaze.

He turned to her once more and commanded, "Come closer and lift your leg. I need to take off this infernal boots of yours that have been teasing me all night."

Lucy got a smirk on her face before she asked, "How have they been teasing you?"

She moaned a little when his fingers grazed her inner thigh before he unzipped her left boot. He arched his eyebrow and stated, "Every time you bit your lip, every time you crossed your legs, every time you took a deep breath and I saw the rise and fall of your chest…I wanted to take you back to our room and fuck you senseless."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lucy moaned while Freed removed the other boot.

"Because I am afraid you will reject me," Freed admitted, "Now strip."

Lucy felt her breath hitch in her throat at how honest Freed was being, in addition to being insanely turned on by the domineering aspects Freed was now portraying. However, something lingered in the back of her mind—something that was now being clouded that she needed to ask Freed about. Something that the tattooed man had said…

"Lucy," Freed spoke in a commanding voice, "I said strip."

"Yes," she moaned as she dropped her cardigan to the ground. She watched as he studied her every movement before she took the bottom of her dress and lifted the stretchy fabric over her head.

She noticed that Freed had gripped the arm rest of the chair. Normally she would be completely embarrassed to be standing in front of a man in nothing but her tights, bra, and necklace, but not under the effects of the spell. She then looked at him and said, "It's hard to get the tights off while standing."

In one quick movement, he grabbed her ass and pulled her closer before he pulled down her confining tights, to reveal her black lace panties. He looked up at her and stated, "You were begging me to fuck you from the moment the night began by wearing these."

She bit her lip when he instructed her to remove her panties and bra, but to leave the gold necklace on. She followed his every order, in the way that he had instructed. Her skin felt so hot and she had to have him soon. Then to her relief he commanded, "Come here and let me play with you."

"Yes, Freed," Lucy whispered out as she came closer to him.

He looked up at her and issued, "Turn around and sat down on my lap."

She did exactly what she was told and relief hit her the moment her body was once again up against his. Then goosebumps spread across her body when he whispered in her ear, "Spread your legs."

She felt so vulnerable and so good as she leaned her head back next to his and did as he commanded. She could feel his left hand snake around her stomach to pull her closer into him as his right hand reached around and gently brushed up against her wet and aching womanhood.

She moaned out at the touch and arched her back, but his left hand pressed her back into him and he stated, "No, this is your punishment."

"Punishment for what?" Lucy breathily whined.

"For not letting me fuck you earlier," Freed growled.

"I didn't know," Lucy tried to speak, but it came out more like a moan when one of Freed's fingers gently stroked her entrance.

"So you didn't feel it? You didn't want me?" he asked her.

She could see her chest heaving up and down from Freed's teasing gestures as she whimpered out, "I d-did…I just…I'm afraid."

Then before she knew it, Freed had flipped her around and stood up in the process. All of a sudden her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was walking her towards the small bed that had a clean quilt on it. He gently laid her down on the bed and admired her physique before he stated in a soft tone, "Lucy, you never have to be afraid of me. I will always protect you."

Both of his eyes were still glowing purple, but it sounded so much like the normal Freed that Lucy smiled and replied, "Then show me. Make love to me—my Dark Master."

Freed smirked before he undid his pants to release his hardened member. She bit her lip to try and relive the ache in her woman hood as he lined himself up with her entrance and then plunged himself into her.

She gave out a faint cry as her walls tried to adjust to his length, but her wetness helped ease him in. She was completely at his mercy being naked and underneath him. He was acting like something straight out of the smut that she and Erza liked to read. He didn't even bother fully taking off of his clothes as he began to slide in and out of her.

"Oh Freed, yes," she moaned as he began to pump a little harder.

She could hear the bed starting to move across the wooden floor when he grunted out between thrusts, "I am getting tired of all of these male dark mages thinking that they can touch what is mine."

Lucy squirmed underneath him because she needed more when she replied, "Well you are barely touching me now. Touch me everywhere, Freed."

In response to her request, he grabbed one of her breasts and gave it a hard squeeze that made her gasp in ecstasy before he asked, "Do you like that other men want you? Does it turn you on?"

"No," she breathed out as he flipped her position so that she was now on her hands and knees, "I only want you, Freed."

She could hear his darkness hum in delight and her light magic began to soothe him as he took her from behind. Her core ached in happiness every time his length stroked her insides in just the right spot, but she still needed more when she begged, "Freed, play with my clit."

He obliged her as he snaked his hand around to rub her while he pumped in and out of her tight pussy. "Oh god, Freed, right there!" she screamed, "Cum with me"

He groaned above her as he began to pound harder, but kept his rhythm on her clit. It didn't take long for him to come undone when he felt her quivering heat flutter around him and began to suck him dry of everything he had to offer.

After they both cried out in ecstasy, all that could be heard was their panting breath and the rain still falling outside. Freed was still inside of her when he felt the effects of the spell fade from him. Lucy could feel it too and blushed when she felt Freed's semi-hard length still inside of her. Her knees felt weak from that cum and she wasn't going to be sorry for it. It had felt amazing and Dark Freed was secretly her new favorite fetish.

"I'm sorry," Freed stated from above her in a low voice before he withdrew his length form her, zipped his pants up, and added, "Let me get your clothes."

She felt a little sadness creep up at how quickly he was ready to jump back to them being normal and suddenly she felt very naked—both literally and figuratively. She tried to cover her breasts a little when he brought her dress and cardigan over to her before she asked, "Why are you sorry?"

He couldn't look at her when he admitted, "I can't fight the spell that wants you so bad, no matter how hard I try."

Lucy felt guilt a little, because this time—she realized she never tried to fight it. Then she got a little upset when she stated, "I'm sorry that having sex with me is so disgusting."

Freed looked appalled at Lucy's statement. That wasn't it at all. He wanted her so much that food almost lost its taste. It's just he wanted her without the spell so he replied, "No, that's not what I meant."

Then to both of their surprise, they heard a shout come from outside, "He's over here!"

Lucy quickly covered herself and Freed looked at her and said, "I'll go check and see what's going on."

When the door closed behind Freed, Lucy looked down at her clothes and began to sob. She suddenly felt so alone and scared. Her life wasn't supposed to be like this.

* * *

Freed couldn't hear Lucy cry over the sound of the rain, otherwise he would not have left, but then he saw several Rune Knights over where he had left the tattooed man—along with Laxus.

As he approached his best friend, he could hear the Rune Knights gasp in horror that this man was Acius, a man that they had been trying to capture for years under several different committed crimes.

When Freed reached Laxus's side, his best friend didn't even look at him when the Lightning Dragon Slayer grinned and said, "Who would have guessed that two of the most innocent seeming people in the guild could fuck so dirty."

"Excuse me?" Freed blinked in surprise.

Laxus laughed and stated, "I got here a little bit ago, right around the time you were telling Blondie to strip."

Freed looked flabbergasted, and felt a little nauseous, when Laxus added, "I wasn't trying to listen, it's why I came all the way over here to keep an eye on this bastard—but god did you have her worked up so much that I could hear her through the rain and everything."

"It was the spell," Freed stated briskly.

Laxus arched his eyebrow before he asked, "Do you think the spell is just bringing out what is already in you two?"

Freed didn't know how to answer that and instead tried to change the subject away from the sin he felt like he had just committed when he said, "This man claimed to have been working with my Father."

The Lightning Dragon Slayer grew serious when he asked, "Did he cast the spell?"

"That I don't know," Freed admitted, "All he said was that he worked for him and he was going to take me back to him and rape Lucy."

"Jesus," Laxus sighed out as they watched Acius scream and try and fight off the Rune Knights. However, his attempts were useless against their magical barriers.

The man was screaming so loud that Freed couldn't hear anything before Laxus asked him, "Do you still think your Father hired someone to cast the spell or knows about Lucy?"

Then before Freed could respond, he heard Lucy gasp from behind him and ask in a low voice, "You think your Father did this to us?"


	15. Chapter 15

“Lucy,” Freed whispered out as he looked at the blonde who was clearly distraught.

“Answer the question,” Lucy demanded as her voice grew more serious.

Laxus took a deep breath before he held up his hands between his best friend and everyone’s favorite mage in Fairy Tail. The Rune Knights had now successfully secured Acius and were loading him into one of their protected carts; however, Laxus knew that this could easily turn into a shouting match and he was afraid that the Rune Knights could learn more than they needed to know about Lucy, Freed, and the baby.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer looked at the woman he had had a crush on for years and calmly stated, “Lucy, Freed and I can explain everything. But please not right here in this moment. You and your child are still not safe—there are too many people around.”

He watched with bated breath as her chocolate eyes turned onto him before they lingered over the Rune Knights and Acius. Then instead of responding verbally, she just nodded her head. He gave her a faint and relieved smile before he promised her, “We will tell you what little we know, but it must stay between us. You have my word that I will tell you.”

He saw Freed look at him out of the corner of his eye before Lucy replied, “Thank you, Laxus.”

After they had all reached a mutual understanding, the three Fairy Tail Mages stood and watched as Acius was led away by the Rune Knights. However, the amount of questions they all received before they were allowed to be released was starting to make Lucy extremely agitated. It had been a long night full of emotions and she was beyond the point of exhaustion. However, they did find out that they would be allowed to speak with the man that Laxus and Freed were calling Acius in the morning at the local Rune Knight jail, along with the man who was apparently the leader of these bandits—Merlo.  

* * *

 

She had no idea how late it was when they all made it back safely to their inn. Erza, Natsu, Happy, Bicks, and Ever were all waiting in the lobby and Natsu had practically tackled Lucy to the ground, if it hadn’t been for Laxus stopping him and reminding the pink haired man that his friend was pregnant and shouldn’t be tossed about so harshly. Lucy gave the large Dragon Slayer a polite smile. She and Laxus were never close, but ever since he had found out about her and Freed’s predicament, Lucy couldn’t help but notice how extremely protective he was of her. It was nice. Even if he did drive her crazy with teasing her about her checking Freed out all of the time.

“Lucy, are you ok?” Erza asked her friend in concern, just as Ever came over to check on the woman who was carrying her best friend’s child.

“I’m fine, Erza,” Lucy replied with a smile, “Freed kept me safe.”

Erza gave her friend a nod before she turned to Freed and added, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Freed replied with a strained voice, “I’d give my life to protect her.”

Everyone, except Natsu and Happy, knew how hard this all was on the two young spell-cast lovers. However, Bickslow was the one that spoke up and asked, “So did they catch everyone?”

“Yeah,” it was Laxus that spoke up, “The Rune Knights have all of them in custody now.”

“Excellent,” Erza stated before she added, “We should all get to bed. Today has been a long day.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, because now there was really nothing left for them to do with everyone captured and knowing that Lucy was safe and sound. As they all started to head towards their rooms, Natsu couldn’t help but mess up Lucy’s hair as he walked by her and Happy flew into her breasts to give her a gentle hug goodnight. She gave them both a warm smile and wished them a goodnight; however, when she turned to see Freed and Laxus she saw that Laxus mouthed, _‘I’ll meet you upstairs.’_

So instead of getting answers right then, like she wanted, the blonde just nodded and headed up to her and her fake boyfriend’s room. Freed also nodded his head and knew Laxus well enough to know he would follow them shortly. Erza was too nosey and if she saw that if Laxus was going into Freed’s and Lucy’s room then she would want to go to and demand to know why.

As Laxus watched the two walk up the stairs, he took a seat in front of the lobby’s fireplace and ran his hands through his face and hair. Tonight had been so stressful—actually the whole month had been. As he watched the flames dance before him, he could just feel it in his bones that they were getting closer to solving who had done this to his best friend. While he may have secretly had a crush on Lucy for years, in no way was he going to get in-between what Freed and she had. She was going to have his best friend’s baby and while the two were being painfully stupid about ignoring their developing feelings, Laxus knew that Freed rarely showed interest in anyone. He just wanted to shake his best friend and tell him to just fuck her without the goddamn spell so that they could both lose the anxiety that they were feeling. But he supposed they would come around in time…hopefully…

* * *

 

After Freed shut the door behind him, Lucy turned around and asked, “How long have you known that your Father might be involved.”

He didn’t hold it against her that she wanted answers, after all—she was just as curious as him. As he tried to loosen his cravat, he replied honestly, “I had my suspicions the more we began to find out about the spell.”

He could see that Lucy was struggling with the information, so he added, “I did not want to worry you until I knew for certain who or what did this to us. My father and I are not close. In fact, I despise him. When we got back from Tenroujima, I looked into to see if he was still alive and up to his old schemes—it was then that I found out that he is dying.”

Lucy didn’t know what to say as she studied the man she was starting to grow very fond of. He looked of a mixture between torn and pained as he revealed a part of himself that he had never shared with her before. Then Freed continued, “He is a criminal mastermind and has spies everywhere. The reason why I suspected him was because he wanted me to produce an heir with a woman of his choosing. If he knew a Heartfilia was still alive, then you would undoubtedly be his first pick.”

“Why?” Lucy asked in a stunned voice as she took a seat in one of the large chairs, “My father lost all of his wealth years ago.”

Freed took a large breathe as he removed his coat and began to hang it up in their shared closet, before he admitted, “That may be, but my Father knew your parents. He is very wealthy and has a lot of connections. He pushed me so long to have an heir—even when I was just fourteen years old. I know his mind, not that I understand it, but I have no doubt that he would already know about your connections with me, Hisui, and everything. You are born of higher-class blood and will undoubtedly produce a powerful child.”

She nodded her head, not really in understanding but more that she was hearing what he was saying. It was all a lot to take in before she finally found a voice to ask, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner—besides me worrying?”

Then before Freed could answer, there was a slight rasp at the door. Lucy nodded at Freed for him to answer it, because they knew Laxus would be there soon. When the large Dragon Slayer entered, he cut right to the chase and asked, “So what do you want to know, Lucy?”

She saw Freed’s blue eyes flicker over to her before she took a deep breath and replied, “Well Freed has explained a lot in just a short amount of time—but I think it is one of those things that I need to process because I will undoubtedly have more questions later.”

The two men just nodded before Laxus flopped down in the other large chair. But then Lucy looked at Freed again and asked, “I would like to know though, if you both knew, why keep it from me?”

However, instead of Freed answering, Laxus spoke up, “Lucy, Freed was only looking out for you. We didn’t have enough information and your team has a tendency to overreact. We were not going to keep you in the dark, but since it was just a guess, there was no point in getting everyone worked up.”

Lucy didn’t take her eyes off of Freed though when she stated firmly, “I had a right to know.”

The green haired man gave her a nod and promised, “I won’t keep anything else from you.”

She nodded her head in agreement as Laxus studied the two. He was fine with that; however, he quickly stated, “But I ask that you don’t tell anyone. Bickslow, Evergreen, and Gramps know, but again—we don’t know anything and your team likes to overreact.”

“No we don’t,” Lucy pouted a little in defense for her best friends.

Laxus rolled his eyes before he started listing things off, “Gray trying to hurt Freed, Natsu destroying every town he walks in, Erza throwing swords at people for knocking her cake onto the ground…”

“All right, all right!” Lucy raised her voice in annoyance, but had a slight smile in her face, “You win and made your goddamn point.”

Freed couldn’t help but smirk at the playfulness between the two before Lucy added, “I’ll keep it to myself.” But then she looked at both men before she pointed her finger at each of them and stated in a firm tone, “But I expect you to tell me ANYTHING on the development if it changes. I am not some feeble woman you have to coddle.”

“Yes ma’am,” Laxus saluted before he teased, “See, you are going to be a great mom. You already got the intimidating mom look about you already.”

Lucy was exhausted and not in the mood and Laxus realized he was walking a fine line before he quickly added, “First thing tomorrow morning, I am going to question Acius and that Merlo guy.”

Freed nodded his head and stated, “I would like to go as well.”

Lucy looked back and forth between the men before she stated, “I want to go too.”

Laxus sighed a little before he rubbed his face in his hands and stated, “That’s probably not good. You could get triggered again—or whatever the hell happens to you. Besides I don’t really want to see you two fuck your brains out in the middle of a jail—hearing it tonight was torturous enough.”

Lucy and Freed both blushed like crazy before Lucy stammered out, “F-fine! But I expect to know everything when we get back home.”

“Fine,” Laxus grunted before he stood up and stated, “Now I’m exhausted. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

“Good night,” Freed and Lucy both replied to Laxus as the blonde man waved at them and left the room.

After he left, Freed went over and locked the door and put up some protective runes—no doubt because there were still so many dark mages within the vicinity, or at least too close for Freed to feel comfortable. Lucy couldn’t help but study the man who was going to be the father of her child. He had done so much for her this past month and took her on the most incredibly sweet date this evening. Then she cleared her throat and stated, “Freed, I’m really sorry about what you’ve been going through.”

He turned around and looked at her with his mesmerizing azure eyes before he replied solemnly, “You’ve been dealing with much more than I.”

She shook her head no. Her heart ached for him before she added, “You and I both know the truth now and you didn’t do this on purpose. While I might be carrying our child, you were carrying the fear that your own father might have done this to us—for that…I am truly sorry. I kind of know a thing or two about having a terrible father.”

She watched as Freed took a large breath and took a seat in the chair that Laxus had been sitting in. She could tell he was contemplating what she had said before he stated in a voice that nearly broke what was left of Lucy’s heart, “But your Father ended up being good and while he may have faltered sometime in his life, he ended up turning back towards the correct path did he not?”

She nodded her head and replied humbly, “He did…but I wasn’t around to see it. By the time he had realized how things could have been different, it was too late.”

She watched as Freed swallowed hard before he added in a cracked voice, “But my Father never loved me—nor more Mother. He has and always will be a monster, Lucy. I fear for our unborn child. Not only for what my Father will do if he finds out, if he did not cast the spell, but also because that is the man that raised me—what if I become him?”

All the doubt in Lucy’s mind about what she meant to Freed or the weird situation they found themselves in melted away the moment she saw him break down for the first time. She immediately found herself on the floor kneeling in front of her weeping magical lover with her hands clutching onto his. He wouldn’t look at her when she pleaded, “Freed, please, look at me.”

She gave him a moment before he wiped some tears away. She found herself crying in that moment too when she reassured him, “You will never turn into your Father and do you want to know why?”

“Why?” he barely whispered out.

“Because you are here with me,” she stated gently as she cupped his face with her soft hand, “A man such as your Father would want nothing to do with me other than impregnate me and probably lock me up somewhere. You did not choose this fate and you fought against the magic—I remember. You, Freed Justine, are a man that I and the guild admire. You are strong, brave, devoted, and you will protect me and our baby so that we can all live happy and safe lives.”

She noticed that Freed’s tears had stopped and she felt like her own heart had stopped when he studied her carefully. Then without giving it much thought, she leaned up further on her knees and gently pressed her lips to his. It didn’t take long when she began to try and move her lips against his for him to reciprocate her desire as his soft lips began to move with hers.

She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders as their kiss deepened and she felt him lean forward so that he could wrap his arms around her. She was still kneeling before him but didn’t care as his mouth completely and hungrily dominated her own. In fact, if she had been standing she was fairly certain she would have melted into a puddle with how hot he was making her. It was like everything had finally clicked into place in that single perfect moment.

As her mouth greedily hungered for his, she couldn’t help but feel like the air had gotten knocked out of her when they finally pulled away from each other to catch their breath. They both remained still for a moment, completely shocked by the turn of events. No magic was effecting their desires at that moment and then the memory of earlier flared up in Lucy’s mind.

However, it was as though Freed knew what she was thinking when he stated, “Lucy, we need to talk about earlier before this continues.”

Now it was her turn to be upset before she whispered, “Yeah…”

Then she felt his finger under her chin as he lifted up her face to say, “I think you misunderstood me earlier after the magic had taken over us again.”

“How so?” Lucy asked quietly.

“I would never think having sex with you was disgusting,” Freed quickly stated as his eyes pierced through her very being, “What I am upset about is that I feel guilt every time the magic takes over because it is against our wills and I never want to force myself upon you without your consent.”

She couldn’t help but smile a little at his statement. It made a little more sense now and she felt foolish for overreacting. So instead of dwelling on it further, she leaned up and kissed the side of his cheek before she whispered in his ear, “Believe me, you acting like that with me—it is never against my consent.”

She got a devious smirk on her face when she heard his breath catch, but then she became really self-conscious and realized that maybe he wasn’t into that. However, her fears were soon diminished when he replied, “I feel the same.”

Her grin widened just before he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She hummed in delight before a yawn finally caught up with her. He couldn’t help but smile before he added, “It has been a long night.”

“Yes it has,” Lucy said with a yawn again. Freed had fought off a crazy ass dark mage, demons, a succubus said something about her child that she wanted to ask Freed and possibly Mira about later, she found out more about Freed’s past, he finally opened up to her, they actually kissed for the first real time without magic…she was exhausted.

It was getting late and she felt gross. After she glanced over at the clock, she looked up at the sexy mage before her and asked, “Do you want to take a shower with me?”

* * *

 

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	16. Chapter 16

**I apologize for any typos, as you are probably aware...I’ve updated A LOT today and have been struggling with an illness.**

**Please enjoy and remember to comment!**

* * *

 

“Apparently morning sickness can happen at any time of the day,” Freed tried to state in a reassuring voice as he skimmed one of the pregnancy books they had purchased while Lucy tossed her cookies in a wastebasket in their room.

He didn’t know how to help her because the runes he placed around her didn’t seem to really help when she whimpered out, “It burns because of the Thai spice!” Then proceeded to hurl some more.

Freed desperately searched around the room for any soda or crackers but of course there were none. He quickly sat down the baby book and stated, “Wait right there, I will be right back!”

“Where else would I go?” she began to cry because her throat hurt so badly and she was throwing up in front of someone she was just trying to seduce.

Freed quickly ran out of the room and found Laxus’s room and proceeded to bang on the door. He could hear his fearless leader murmur, “What the fuck is going on?”

The angry Dragon Slayer whipped the door open and normally Freed would have thought twice about his actions before he barked orders at his friend, but as he heard Lucy hurl form down the hall again he instructed, “Find a store and buy some lemon-lime soda and crackers!”

“Huh?” Laxus asked in confusion.

“Right now! I didn’t stutter!” Freed barked at the man.

Then Laxus heard Freed’s name being called in-between puking. He quickly grabbed a t-shit and murmured, “Oh shit,” and teleported out of the inn to do Freed’s bidding.

Freed ran back into his room with Lucy and closed the door as he proceeded to inform her, “Laxus went to go get some supplies, let me get you a damp cloth.”

After Freed retrieved the cool wet cloth, he caught a whiff of the smell of Thai vomit. He sat down the rag on Lucy’s hand gently as he covered his mouth with his other hand to keep from throwing up on her back. He hated the smell of vomit, hearing people vomit, and she had eaten shrimp which made everything seem worse than it already was.

“Freed,” Lucy whimpered out but as much as Freed tried to keep his composure…he couldn’t as he bolted for the balcony and began to puke himself.

Lucy could hear him throwing up and tried to ask as she began to dry heave, “Freed, are you ok?”

The response she received was the sound of vomit hitting the trees below.

Freed had no idea how much time had passed when Laxus appeared behind him and put his hand on his back and asked, “You ok, Buddy?”

“I’m fine,” he whispered out, “How’s Lucy?”

“Probably about the same as you,” Laxus tried not to laugh as he handed Freed the supplies, “Want me to take her vomit out of the room?”

“But she’s my responsibility,” Freed tried to argue and he could hear that Lucy must have stopped throwing up.

“Please, buddy, do you know how many times I’ve had to clean Bickslow’s puke off of himself or my things because he got so trashed?” Laxus began to bark out a laugh.

“Not really, no,” Freed sighed.

Then Laxus slapped his friend’s back and just whispered, “Let’s just say you owe me two favors tonight. Nah, let’s just make it three. One, for hearing you have incredibly hot sex when we all know that’s my field of expertise; two, for getting your pregnant girlfriend supplies; three, cleaning up after her so you don’t throw up on her.”

“Ok,” was all Freed could respond with. Nobody would have recognized that he was the man who took down some demons and a psychotic killer just a bit ago.

Then Laxus waved goodbye to him and heard Lucy ask his friend if he’d be ok. Freed was supposed to be taking care of Lucy, not the other way around.

Once he heard Lucy lock the door behind Laxus, she walked out onto the deck and said, “I’ll get cleaned up first and keep the shower going for you. Do you need anything?”

Freed shook his head no. He didn’t trust himself to lean his head up entirely yet when he replied, “No, I’m so sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Lucy whispered as she rubbed his back, “Actually it’s kind of cute.”

He balked at the statement before he asked, “How?”

She began to giggle a little before she admitted, “You did your best to try and console me and even ordered Laxus around. Again the only two people I have ever seen get away with that are Mira and Erza. Then the man who was so badass earlier tonight can’t stand the smell of puke.”

When he heard Lucy giggling, he couldn’t help but smile because at least she was feeling better, before he replied, “You’re right.”

Then she patted his back again before she went to go shower. He practiced deep breathing techniques as he heard the shower water turn on. He smiled at his own silliness but at least he knew he’d need to get a stronger stomach before his child arrived.

* * *

 

The pair looked quite pathetic. After Freed had dried his hair, he exited the bathroom and saw that Lucy was in bed watching a show he had never seen before and was slowly munching on saltines and sipping the soda Laxus had gotten her. He noticed that there was some on his side of the nightstand too. He smiled warmly as she smiled at him and moved the covers back a little for him to join her. They were both incredibly exhausted and tonight they would actually share a bed together for the first time with both their consent…but too tired to do anything.

* * *

 

The next morning, Freed’s throat still hurt a little and Lucy said hers burned like crazy. However, Laxus had left them a note to take it easy because he and Bickslow were going to go question Merlo and Acius on their own so Freed and Lucy could rest.

Freed looked at Lucy who was still resting in bed, because she was feeling incredibly fatigued when he asked, “How does breakfast in bed sound?”

She took a deep breath before she admitted, “I feel both hungry and don’t. It’s weird.”

“How so?” Freed asked in curiosity as he pulled out the menu for downstairs.

“Like I feel like I could eat but nothing sounds great,” Lucy admitted.

“How about I order a few different things and you just pick around what you want?” Freed asked, “You should try to eat a little bit of something, but I think when we get back to Magnolia later today, we should go see Porlyusica. You’ve thrown up your last few meals.”

Lucy just nodded her head in agreement and Freed was glad in a way that he didn’t have to go to the holding cell of the Dark Mages. Lucy needed rest and he wanted to be here to take care of her. He just hoped Laxus found out something useful.

* * *

 

Laxus and Bickslow were being led to the holding cell of Merlo first. The two knew they had to word things carefully so as not to give away Lucy’s and Freed’s secret.

After the guard left them, Laxus eyed the large man who was in a cell far away from everyone else. Bickslow nodded at Laxus once everyone got far enough away before Laxus looked at the man and asked, “So, who do you work for?”

“No one,” Merlo sighed out.

Bickslow just nodded before Laxus sent a spark of his magic at the man. The man howled in pain before Laxus smirked and asked, “This can be very easy or very painful. Your choice.”

The man grumbled to himself before he replied, “You’re that powerful Fairy Tail fucker aren’t you?”

Laxus’s smirk just widened before the man admitted, “I work for no one. A group of us just plunder easy places.”

“I don’t believe you,” Laxus snarled before he sent another bolt at the man.

“Jesus!” the man screeched, “I’m telling you the truth! The only person I know with a side hustle is Acius!”

Bickslow and Laxus looked at one another before Laxus asked, “And would you happen to know who this side hustle is with?”

“The fucker would never say,” Merlo admitted, “Should never have let that trash join us.”

“Pot calling the kettle black much?” Bickslow snorted in disgust.

Merlo was about to smart something else off when Laxus asked, “Were any of you put under a spell last night?”

Merlo got a smirk on his face when he began to chuckle, “Oh you mean when we could smell the sweet heat of that bitch? Yes.”

Laxus’s and Bickslow’s eyes narrowed before Laxus asked, “Do you still feel it?” Laxus was not about to confirm that the men were put under a spell because of his guildmate.

The man’s brows furrowed before he replied, “Now that you ask, no…it’s like I think I still feel her but then don’t…It’s like something is protecting her…”

Laxus didn’t know what that meant, because Freed had been with Lucy for the better part of 24 hours. The dark mages found her last night, why not now?

Then Merlo added, “I would have loved to have been able to put my cock in that tight little cunt if I had found it first though.”

Then before Bickslow could tell the man to shut his damn trap, Laxus sent a bolt of electricity so powerful that it knocked the man out.

“Damn,” Bickslow laughed as the man collapsed to the ground.

Then Laxus stated, “I doubt he will remember anything about Lucy now.”

Bickslow began to chuckle as the two went to find the guard who would now take them to Acius.

The Rune Knights weren’t keen on letting the Fairy Tail mages speak to a very wanted criminal, but Master Makarov pulled a few favors so Laxus and Bickslow could speak to the man alone. The two had discussed their plan and if the man refused to cooperate, then Bickslow would use his magic to make him.

The Dark Mage was covered in deep wounds that were starting to fester and matted blood coated his dirty skin. Laxus was glad for his friend that he didn’t have a Dragon Slayer nose because now Laxus wanted to join in with Freed and Lucy and puke before he asked the man, “Why did you attack my friend?”

“Which one?” Acius asked in a raspy voice, “Lord Justine’s son or the big tittied bitch?”

Laxus’s eyes narrowed because they were finally getting somewhere, “What has Lord Justine asked you to do?”

The man smirked and asked, “Don’t you mean to ask me, what your Father has asked me to do?”

The man began to laugh and spit up blood and Bickslow was already starting to take off his helmet when the man muttered something.

“What the fuck,” Laxus murmured as the man looked at him one last time and his eyes glazed over.

“Shit!” Laxus yelled and Bickslow quickly put his helmet on, “The fucker just killed himself. Guards!”

The Guards quickly ran in and one of them called in a physician. Laxus and Bickslow stood out of the way and watched the commotion, but the physician called it when she couldn’t revive the Dark Mage.

Laxus nodded towards Bickslow that they needed to leave and both mages felt pissed off because they had no more information than before, but Laxus was damn certain their fathers were still behind it.

* * *

 

It was late in the day when the group arrived back in Magnolia. Freed had already called Porlyusica to ask if they could stop by her house, because Lucy had thrown up her breakfast too. It was hard not to get discouraged today with his girlfriend being sick and Laxus revealing to them that they didn’t find out anything new. However, Lucy did make plans that she would begin moving in tomorrow and both teams were going to come help. He felt both excited and nervous.

As they were walking in the woods together, Freed looked over at Lucy and asked, “Lucy can we talk about something before we move in together tomorrow?”

He could tell she was not feeling well and needed plenty of rest before she smiled at him and asked, “What? You hiding a deep dark secret from me?”

He blinked in confusion but then when he saw the smile on her face, he realized it was a joke. He was never very good at sarcasm. He shook his head no anyways and asked, “I was wondering if you thought about what room you’d like to stay in? I have thoughts on it…”

She stopped walking and looked at him nervously before she admitted, “I hadn’t thought of it…”

He could see her mind was starting to go to a dark place when he simply asked, “Would you like to share my room with me? I’d prefer that. I have two other rooms though, I was thinking one could be the nursery and the other one we could turn into your own private sanctuary with your writing desk and books.”

She blinked at him surprise before a deep blush coated her face and she admitted, “I…don’t want to burden you.”

“You can’t,” Freed smiled and stated simply.

She just nodded her head before they continued walking. Then after a few moments of silence she pointed out, “Bickslow is going to tease the shit out of us tomorrow. You know this right?”

“Unfortunately,” Freed sighed but with a smile still apparent on his face.

Soon afterwards, they arrived at Porlyusica’s place. It was pretty late and the old woman had curlers in her hair but she welcomed them in anyways and cut straight to the chase with asking Lucy questions about her symptoms.

Freed sat on a nearby stool as Lucy laid down on the patient’s bed and began to describe everything. The old woman listened closely before she finally stated, “Well it’s not uncommon for some women, especially sensitive ones, to experience morning sickness as early as two weeks pregnant. Assuming you did conceive on your first night, six weeks is fairly normal. However, most women do tend to keep something down. Let me run a few tests.”

He sat in silence as Porlyusica casted a few spells and did what appeared to be some normal checks. Then when the woman was running her hand just above Lucy’s bladder her face turned even paler than it already was.

“What’s wrong?!” Lucy asked in concern because she could detect the change in Porlyusica’s behavior, “Is something wrong with the baby?!”

“You both need to sit down,” the elderly woman whispered out.

Freed and Lucy both looked at each other with worry, because Lucy had been laying down the entire visit and he had been sitting. This couldn’t be good.

Freed however, couldn’t stand it and went over to sit by Lucy. She grabbed his hand firmly and when Porlyusica snapped out of her trance, she calmly said to them, “I’m about to tell you something that most parents don’t find out until about ten weeks in.”

“What is it?” Lucy began to tear up.

Porlyusica took a deep breath and answered, “You are expecting twins.”

* * *

 

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